GANGA  DASS  i 

BY 
HARVEY  REEVES  CALKINS 


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MAY    1    1918 


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BV    2087     .C3 

Calkins,    Harvey   Reeves,    186 
-1941  . 

Ganga   Dass 


BOOKS   ON 
CHRISTIAN   STEWARDSHIP 

By  Harvey  Reeves  Calkins 


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GANGA  DASS 


A  TALE  OF  HINDUSTAN 


BY 

HARVEY  REEVES  CALKINS 


4 
MAY   1    1918 


THE  ABINGDON  PRESS 

NEW  YORK  CINCINNATI 


Copyright,  1917,  by 
HARVEY  REEVES  CALKINS 


CONTENTS 

Page 

Editor's  Preface 7 

Glossary 10 

I.  The  Hindu  Grain  Merchant 11 

II.  The  Christian  Farmer 25 

III.  The  Village  Council 45 


PREMI'S  SONG 
(See  pages  53  and  54) 

Sulh  Mubarak 

Koras: — Sulh  mubdrak,  sulh  muqaddas, 
Kaisd  hai  dil  ko  yaqin  ! 
Lahr  lufdni  par, 
Yisu  Madadgdr 
Mujhe  detd  hai  laskin. 

1.  Khushi  misl  i  daryd  bahli 

Jab  se  Ruh  to  di  hai, 
Hath  hamdre  nit  bhl  rahii 
P'ydr  ke  dil  men  basti  hai. 

2.  Mid  i  bdrish,  mid  i  roshni, 

J  a  dsmdn  se  dtl  hai, 
So  Khudd  ki  Ruh  dijdtt, 
Ham  par  ndzil  hoti  hai. 

3.  Kais'  ajib  najdt  hamdri, 

Karle  nit  Us  par  nigdh; 
Bud  o  bash  ki  sulh  piydri, 
Kaisd  sdkin  drdmgdfi! 

H.  R.  C. 
The  Cawnpore  Revival 
March — November,  1909. 


EDITOR'S   PEEFACE 

The  Christian   Stewardship  League  has 

projected  a  "World-Series"  of  Stewardship 
Booklets.  This  series  will  be  produced  by 
qualified  missionaries  in  the  various  mis- 
sion fields.  It  will  be  edited  by  the  gen- 
eral superintendent  of  the  League. 

The  first  of  the  scries,  Ganga  Dass, 
has  been  prepared  by  the  editor.  It  is  for 
India.  The  Rev.  Brenton  T.  Badley,  of 
Lueknow,  will  supervise  its  translation 
and  circulation  in  the  various  language 
areas  of  that  fascinating  mission  field. 

The  purpose  of  Ganga  Dass  is  to  help  the 
leaders  of  the  Indian  Church  in  their  de- 
termination to  place  "self-support"  where 
properly  it  belongs — in  the  field  of  funda- 
mental doctrine  rather  than  of  church 
efficiency.  The  great  Indian  Church,  now 
swiftly  increasing,  shall  be  saved  from  the 
superficial  and  meager  standards  of  stew- 
ardship which  characterize  Western  Chris- 
tianity. 

Since  the  second  century  Christianity  hi 
the  West  has  been  weighted  down  with  the 
Stoic  conception  of  property,  inherited 
from  Roman  jurisprudence.  The  Christian 
doctrine  of  Stewardship  cannot  grow  in 
such  a  soil,  for  the  Stoic  conception  of 
Deity  is  impersonal.  Divine  Ownership, 
the  core  of  Christian  Stewardship,  has: 
7 


8  EDITOR'S    PREFACE 

been,  for  the  most  part,  a  fiction  of  mere 
words.  "(Jiving"  has  been  shot  through 
with  the  ascetic  and  pagan  notion  of  ''giv- 
ing up";  it  seldom  has  reached  the  normal 
Christian  conception  of  administering  for 
Another. 

Right  here  the  churches  in  mission  lands 
have  rare  advantage.  In  escaping  from  the 
blight  of  paganism,  they  are  under  the 
trained  leadership  of  Christian  mission- 
aries who  know  the  inwardness  of  pagan 
thinking.  Therefore  Christian  converts  in 
Asia,  in  the  twentieth  century,  are  not  like- 
ly to  lapse  into  the  quasi-pagan  befuddle- 
ment  from  which  Christian  converts  in 
Europe,  in  the  second  and  succeeding 
centuries,  rarely  if  ever  escaped.  Our 
generation  is  realizing  this  truth.  Both  in 
social  attitude  and  property  conception 
Western  Christianity  is  recognizing  and 
repudiating  pagan  traditions  which  too 
long  have  been  labeled  "Christian."  Never- 
theless, because  of  these  traditions  root- 
ing back  in  Christian  history,  the  Churches 
of  America  and  Europe  are  compelled, 
slowly  and  laboriously,  to  climb  the  hill  of 
Zion  backwards.  But  the  Churches  of  Asia 
are  face-front. 

The  habit  of  Western  teaching  takes  too 
much  for  granted.  It  assumes  without  war- 
rant that  Christians  are  grounded  in  funda- 
mental things.  The  missionary  among 
Asiatic  peoples  knows  that  he  can  take 
nothing  for  granted;  therefore  he  builds 
from  the  bottom — indeed  he  must  dig  his 
own  trenches  before  he  dare  lay  down  his 


EDITOR'S    PREFACE  9 

first  foundation  stone.  For  this  reason  "A 
Tale  of  Hindustan,"  though  prepared  for 
Indian  Christians,  may  suggest  lines  of 
teaching  that  need  new  emphasis  in  the 
Churches  of  America.  The  little  book  is 
not  meant  for  scholars,  but  only  for  folks, 
"just  folks."  Nevertheless  scholarship 
would  do  well  to  traverse  this  field.  The 
paths  indeed  are  Old  Paths,  but  they  are 
rankly  overgrown  with  weeds. 

In  this  connection  the  author  desires  to 
acknowledge  the  helpful  co-operation  of 
Miss  Elizabeth  C.  Northup,  editor  of  "The 
Woman's  Friend,"  in  which  wide-reaching 
journal  the  first  part  of  Ganga  Dass 
recently  appeared. 

One  concluding  word.  American  read- 
ers possibly  may  wonder  that  religion  is 
so  intimate  a  part  of  an  Indian  market 
place,  and  so  normal  a  theme  for  conversa- 
tion in  an  Indian  household.  They  need 
not  wonder.  Rather  let  them  covet  for 
American  Christianity  the  atmosphere  of 
a  well  taught  Christian  family  in  the 
Orient,  where  conversation  habitually 
dwells  in  high  places.  Perhaps  this  may 
explain,  at  least  in  part,  why  missionaries 
on  furlough  are  so  tiresome ! 

Harvey  Reeves  Calkins. 

Chicago, 

"Thanksgiving,"  1916. 


10 


GLOSSARY 


GLOSSARY 


Ganga  Das 

Avatar  (pr. 

Baramda  (pr. 

Brahm  (pr. 

Chadar  (pr. 

Chitak  (pr. 

Guru  (pr. 

Hakim  (pr. 

Jalebis  (pr. 

Ji  (pr. 


s — pronounce 

avatar)  — 

baramda)  — 

brum)  — 

chudder)  — 

chittdck)  — 

giiroo)  — 

hakim)  — 

juUaybies)  — 
gee) 


Karma 


(pr.  kurma) 


Gunga  Ddss  with  soft  D 

-a  divine  incarnation. 

-original  of  Eng.  "veranda." 

-pure  being,  the  "essence"  of 
all  that  is. 

-a  sheet  or  shawl. 

-sixteenth  of  a  seer. 

-a  respected  leader,  usually  a 
teacher. 

-an  Indian  judge. 

-sweetmeat. 

-suffix  denoting  affection  or 
high  respect. 

-the  law  of  pre-natal  compul- 
sion; literally,  "the  work- 
ing. Karma  is  quite  dif- 
ferently  understood  as 
between  Hindus  and  Bud- 
dhists. 

-shell  used  as  a  petty  coin. 

-Hindu  ritual. 

-forty  seers. 

-illusion,  unreality. 

-irrigating  ditch  or  channel. 

-a  scholar. 

-one  half  cent. 

-worshiped  by  farmers  and 
merchants. 

-greeting;  "peace." 

-about  two  pounds. 

-cooled  water  with  scent  fruit 
juice  and  sugar;  original  of 
Eng.   "sherbet." 

-a  title  of  honor. 

-sub-district  tax  officer. 

-overseer  of  police. 

-luncheon. 

-land-holder. 


Transliteration  of  Hindustani  words  and  names  is  diffi- 
cult. The  author  has  followed  the  standard  use  accepted 
in  Northern  India.  English  readers  will  be  safe,  in  pro- 
nouncing, to  make  a  open  as  in  father,  and  to  soften  d 
and  t — that  is  pronounce  these  letters  with  the  tongue 
against  the  teeth.  There  are  exceptions,  some  above  noted, 
but  this  suggestion   is  a  safe  one. 


Kauri 

(pr.  cowry     ) 

Mantras 

(pr.  muntras) 

Maund 

(pr.  mund) 

Maya 

(pr.  my-ya) 

Nala 

(pr.  nalla) 

Pandit 

(pr.  pundit) 

Pice 

(pr.  as  written) 

Ram 

(pr.  ram) 

Salam 

(pr.  salam) 

Seer 

(pr.  sear) 

Sharbat 

(pr.  shurbut) 

Siri 

(pr.  sree) 

Tehsildar 

(pr.  tyseelddr) 

Thanadar 

(pr.  tanadar) 

Tiffin 

(pr.  as  written) 

Zamindar 

(pr.  zdmeendar) 

I 

THE  HIXDIT  GRAIN  MERCHANT 


In     the     Beginning     God     created     the 
heaven  and  the  earth. 

— Book  of  Genesis. 


THE  HINDU  GRAIN  MERCHANT 

"Good  evening,  my  friend,  is  your  busi- 


ness  prospering 


2» 


"Yes,  Ram  be  praised!  Many  rich  peo- 
ple of  the  city  buy  grain  from  me.  I 
scarce  can  fill  my  bins  but  they  are  empty 
again." 

"The  farmers  also  are  rejoicing;  surely, 
the  rains  are  seasonable  this  year.  The 
very  beggars  by  the  roadside  are  smiling." 

"Yes,  Sahib;  no  doubt  you  have  heard 
our  proverb — 

'All  in  the  season  when  the  rains  come  down, 
Then  in  every  house  the  fry-pan  fizzes  on  !'  " 
['Barsat  men  Karhai  ghar  ghar.'~\ 

"I  am  glad  that  you  are  contented,  and 
I  certainly  rejoice  with  you.  I  also  can 
understand  why  the  village  people  call  you 
'Ganga  Dass  the  Wise,'  for  I  am  sure  you 
are  well  versed  in  the  Hindu  religion. 
Would  you  mind,  therefore,  if  I  ask  you  a 
very  simple   question?" 

"Certainly,  Sahib,  you  may  ask  it!  But 
I  am  not  wise.  I  am  only  Ganga  Dass,  the 
grain  merchant;  Ram  is  wise. 

'Do  but  your  Work, 
Praise  only  Ram.'  " 
['Kar  le  so  Kam 
Bhaj  le  so  Ram.'l 

"Very  well,  I  will  ask  the  question, 
although  you  may  think  it  is  a  very  fool- 
ish one:  What  is  that  in  thine  hand?" 

"This?  Why,  this  is  my  brass  money- 
13 


14  GANGA   DASS 

box;  it  contains  the  proceeds  from  the 
grain  which  I  have  sold  to-day." 

"Is  it  your  money-box?" 

"Certainly." 

"Whose  money  does  it  contain?" 

"It  contains  my  money,  to  be  sure !  I 
am  an  honest  man,  I  did  not  steal  these 
rupees." 

"But  you  said  just  now  that  this  money 
is  the  price  of  the  grain  which  you  have 
sold." 

"Yes,  that  is  true." 

"Very  good;  then  tell  me,  whose  grain 
have  you  been  selling? — and  whose  grain 
is  this  that  still  lies  heaped  up  in  your 
bins  ~t" 

"Are  you  from  the  Police  Department? 
and  are  you  seeking  to  cast  suspicion  upon 
an  honorable  merchant  ?" 

"Certainly  not,  Ganga  Dass;  I  am  your 
friend,  and  I  am  asking  you  a  simple  ques- 
tion of  religion." 

"Keligion !  I  do  not  understand  how 
money  and  grain  can  have  anything  to  do 
with  religion.  Of  course  I  give  alms  to  the 
poor,  and  all  the  district  knows  that  I  gave 
the  money  to  repair  our  village  temple.  Is 
that  what  you  mean?" 

"No,  that  is  not  what  I  mean  at  all.  I 
am  not  speaking  of  alms,  but  of  ownership. 
When  you  give  money  to  the  poor  or  to 
the  priest,  wdiose  money  do  you  give?  Who 
'owns'  the  grain  which  you  buy  and  sell  in 
the  market  place?" 

"What  a  very  strange  question!  But  I 
will  answer  you,  for  I  believe  you  are  my 


friend  and  are  not  seeking  to  injure  my 
trade." 

"Certainly,  Ganga  Dass,  I  am  your 
friend." 

"Very  well,  the  answer  to  your  question 
is  so  simple  that  it  makes  me  ashamed  to 
mention  it.  Any  schoolboy  could  tell 
you  that  the  grain  first  belonged  to  the 
farmer  who  cultivated  the  soil  and  gath- 
ered in  the  crop;  but,  when  I  purchased 
the  grain  for  a  certain  price,  then  I  my- 
self became  the  owner.  Part  of  it  I  already 
have  sold  to  my  customers,  but  the  bal- 
ance which  remains  is  mine,  my  very  own. 
Is  not  this  perfectly  plain?" 

"But,  friend  Ganga  Dass,  excuse  me; 
did  you  not  just  now  give  praise  to  Ram 
because  you  are  prospering  in  your  busi- 
ness ?" 

"Certainly,  for  I  am  a  good  Hindu;  I 
often  speak  that  name  with  reverence  and 
worship.     'Ram  alone  is  Truth.'  " 

"Then,  if  Ram  is  worshiped,  surely  he 
must  be  the  owner  of  the  grain  which  you 
are  selling,  and  of  the  money  which  is 
in  your  hands." 

"O.  Sahib,  that  cannot  be  true!  Siri 
Ram  was  a  mighty  hero,  a  wonderful 
avatar;  but  he  has  no  need  of  grain  or 
money." 

"I  am  not  speaking  of  his  need,  but  of 
his  dominion.  Is  Ram  not  worshiped?  Is 
he  not  therefore  divine?  Has  he  not 
power  over  the  earth,  to  send  sunshine  and 
rain,  and  does  he  not  cause  the  grain  to 
grow  and  ripen  in  the  fields  ?     Surely,  then, 


1G  GANGA   DASS 

the  grain  belongs  to  him,  for  without  him 
it  could  not  now  lie  heaped  up  in  your 
bins." 

"All  this  no  doubt  is  true,  Sahib,  and  yet 
you  do  not  seem  to  understand  the  Hindu 
religion.  Siri  Ram  does  not  own  this  grain 
at  all.  Our  pandit  would  be  amused  if  he 
heard  you  speak  so  strangely! 

"Pardon  my  mistake,  friend  Ganga  Dass, 
and  please  explain  to  me  the  Hindu  reli- 
gion; for  I  do  not  wish  to  appear  foolish 
in  your  eyes.  Tell  me  why  Hindu  people 
worship  Ram.  Do  you  not  believe  that  he 
is  divine?" 

"O  yes,  Ram  avatar  is  divine,  just  as 
everybody  and  everything  is  divine;  but 
that  is  not  the  reason  why  we  worship  him. 
There  is  a  divine  soul  in  every  object  in 
the  world.  Therefore  Hindu  people  desire 
to  worship  anything  or  any  person  that  is 
unusual,  or  wonderful,  or  terrible,  like  a 
strangely  shaped  stone  or  tree,  or  like  a 
very -beautiful  child,  or  a  terrible  and  mis- 
shapen dwarf;  for  these  are  special  and  re- 
markable appearances  of  that  one  divine 
soul  which  fills  the  whole  world.  Siri  Ram, 
as  I  already  have  told  you,  was  a  great 
hero,  a  mighty  avatar;  so  also  were 
Krishna  and  Ganesa  and  Hanuman,  and 
there  have  been  many  others  not  so  re- 
nowned as  these.  These  heroes  did  great 
exploits,  and  were  very  wise  and  wonderful 
beings;  therefore  Hindu  people  worship 
them." 

"But,  friend  Ganga  Dass,  if  that  is  the 
case,  then  I  can  see  no  reason  why  a  Hindu 


HINDU    GRAIN    MERCHANT     17 

might  not  worship  Buddha,  or  Jesus,  or 
Mohammed,  or  the  fierce  Akbar — or  even 
the  devil!" 

"That  is  very  true,  Sahib,  and,  as  a  mat- 
ter of  fact,  many  Hindus  do  worship  them. 
The  Hindu  religion  is  the  most  wonderful 
religion  in  the  world !  It  is  suited  to  the 
wise  and  the  ignorant,  the  good  and  the 
evil,  the  rajah  and  the  beggar.  Any  one 
can  become  a  Hindu!  Christians  and  Mo- 
hammedans and  Parsis  easily  could  be- 
come Hindus,  and  this,  indeed,  is  their 
duty,  for  India  is  the  land  of  the  Hindus; 
there  should  be  but  one  religion  in  this 
land.  If  all  the  people  will  give  honor  to 
the  Brahmans,  if  they  will  take  care  to 
observe  the  rules  of  their  own  caste,  and 
will  not  seek  to  influence  the  people  of 
other  castes,  they  can  believe  anything 
they  want  and  worship  any  god  they  please. 
That  is  what  I  call  religious  liberty !" 

"Surely,  friend  Ganga  Dass,  your  words 
are  very  interesting,  and  I  will  think  of 
what  you  say.  But  is  there  no  Supreme 
and  Eternal  God  whom  all  Hindus  wor- 
ship, One  Almighty  Creator  whose  name  is 
above  every  name?" 

"Yes,  indeed,  Sahib,  and  that  is  the  very 
heart  of  our  religion!  We  Hindus  know 
full  well  that  Brahm  is  the  soul  [atma~\ 
or  essence  \zat~\  of  all  things.  This  divine 
soul  pervades  and  fills  the  whole  world  and 
everything  that  is  in  the  world — earth  and 
air  and  water,  fields  and  trees,  fish  and 
fowl,  man  and  beast.  Therefore  we  recog- 
nize   that    Deity,    that    is,    the    changeless 


18  GANGA   DASS 

Brahm,  is  always  with  us,  indeed  is  always 
within  us,  for  Brahm  is  the  very  soul  of 
our  soul.  And  this  same  eternal  soul  of 
the  universe  is  present  in  the  chair  upon 
which  I  am  sitting,  and  in  the  weights 
witli  which  I  measure  out  my  grain.  For 
Brahm  is  everywhere !  Ram  no  doubt  is 
truth,  but  Brahm  only  is  unchanging 
truth;  all  else  is  but  illusion — stones  and 
trees,  mists  and  darkness,  pain  and  sick- 
ness,  indeed,  the  very  universe  itself;  for 
this  world  has  fallen  under  the  power  of 
Maya,  illusion ;  Brahm  alone  is  Reality. 
As  yarn  is  to  cloth,  as  milk  is  to  curds,  as 
clay  is  to  a  jar,  as  gold  is  to  a  bracelet,  so 
is  the  changeless  and  eternal  Brahm  to 
every  person  and  to  every  object  in  the 
universe." 

"Thank  you,  friend  Ganga  Dass;  the 
Hindu  religion  seems  difficult  to  under- 
stand, but  you  have  made  it  very  plain  to 
me.  I  have  one  more  question:  Is  the 
changeless  and  eternal  Brahm  a  person? 
That  is,  is  Brahm  intelligent?  Can  this 
wonderful  and  mysterious  soul  of  the  uni- 
verse do  anything?  and  does  it  know  any- 
thing? Does  it  become  the  'soul'  of  a 
cow,  or  of  a  man,  or  of  a  chair,  or  of  a 
tree,  because  it  wills  to  become  so?  Or,  is 
it  like  the  mist  of  the  morning,  without 
any  power  to  control  itself?" 

"I  never  thought  of  that!  You  have 
asked  a  very  strange  question." 

"Yes,  friend  Ganga  Dass,  that  question 
is  the  very  milk  of  the  cocoanut !  How  do 
you  answer   it?" 


HINDU    GRAIN    MERCHANT     19 

"Indeed,  I  do  not  know,  Sahib,  and  your 
question  troubles  me.  But  I  am  sure  our 
pandit  would  answer  that  the  eternal 
Brahm  cannot  be  a  living  Person  with  de- 
sire and  will  to  do  anything'.  The  change- 
less Brahm  remains  ever  dim  and  indis- 
tinct, like  thin  smoke  among  the  rafters, 
forever  pervading  and  filling  the  universe, 
and  yet  forever  unconscious  and  vanishing 
away.  Out  of  the  depths  of  it  we  came 
into  this  life,  into  its  depths  we  shall  sink 
forever.  As  Brahm  is,  so  we  shall  be,  for 
Brahm  is  very  soul  of  our  soul." 

"Thank  you,  my  friend;  what  you  say 
sounds  very  familiar  to  me,  for  many  peo- 
ple in  the  world  have  had  thoughts  like 
this.  I  remember  that,  when  I  was  a  little 
boy,  I  used  to  lie  in  the  grass  and  wonder 
where  I  came  from.  I  would  look  up  into 
the  sky,  and  dream  of  Something,  thinner 
than  air,  that  stretched  out  beyond  the 
stars.  But  it  was  all  childish,  vague,  and 
indistinct,  like  the  wavering  shadow  of  the 
nim  tree  there  beside  the  wall." 

"Yes,  Sahib,  that  is  what  our  pandit 
says.  Our  souls  are  like  a  shadowy  mist, 
and  religion,  which  feeds  the  soul,  must  it- 
self be  shadowy  and  dim.  Did  not  I  say 
our  religion  is  just  fitted  to  the  soul?  It 
is  indeed  wonderful  to  be  a  Hindu!" 

"Well,  Ganga  Dass,  I  am  glad  we  have 
had  this  conversation,  for  now  I  under- 
stand your  answer  to  my  first  question, 
'What  is  that  in  thine  hand  V  " 

"I  do  not  understand,  Sahib;  please  ex- 
plain your  meaning." 


20  GAXGA    DASS 

"I  will  do  so,  gladly;  but  first,  I  would 
have  you  answer  one  more  question.  You 
are  a  merchant  and  have  much  property; 
tell  me  this,  What  is  property  [mal~]  ?" 

"That  is  easily  answered,  for  property  is 
all  about  us  in  the  market  place — wheat, 
barley,  oxen,  merchandise,  money;  all  of 
this  is  property." 

"Very  true,  Ganga  Dass;  but  are  valu- 
able things  such  as  you  have  named  always 
property  ?" 

"Certainly  they  are;  why  not?" 

"No,  my  friend,  right  here  you  are  mis- 
taken, and  the  mistake  is  a  common  one. 
These  valuable  things  may  be  property, 
but  always  on  one  condition — they  must  be 
under  the  dominion  or  control  of  some  liv- 
ing and  intelligent  person.  If  there  is  no 
person,  there  can  be  no  property." 

"I  do  not  understand  you,  Sahib.  Here 
is  a  gold  ring,  yonder  is  grain  heaped  in 
the  bins;  are  these  not  property?  I  do  not 
understand  what  you  mean  when  you  say 
'If  there  is  no  person  there  can  be  no  prop- 
erty.' " 

"That  is  because  you  have  not  thought 
about  it,  Ganga  Dass.  But  it  is  very  easy 
to  understand.  For  instance,  rich  veins  of 
gold  still  lie  buried  beneath  the  surface  of 
the  earth;  it  is  pure  gold,  just  as  desirable 
and  just  as  beautiful  as  gold  that  has  been 
beaten  into  a  king's  goblet;  and  yet  it  is 
not  'property';  that  is,  it  is  not  under  the 
control  or  dominion  of  anyone,  but  lies 
hidden  in  the  silent  earth.  When  some 
person  shall  discover  it  and  take  rightful 


HINDU    GRAIN    MERCHANT     21 

possession  of  it,  the  gold  will  then  become 
'property.'  In  the  same  way,  wild  barley 
may  be  growing-  in  deserted  places,  far 
from  any  human  habitation.  Is  it  not 
valuable  grain?  Most  surely;  it  is  just  as 
good  for  grinding  into  flour  as  that  heap  of 
barley  yonder  near  the  door;  but  it  is  not 
'property'  at  all.  Why  \  Because  no  per- 
son knows  about  it.  It  is  growing  wild  in 
the  jungle,  and  there  is  no  person  to  lay 
hold  of  it,  and  say,  'It  is  mine/  Do  you 
not  see,  Ganga  Dass,  that  property  must 
always  mean  a  person  ?" 

"Surely,  Sahib,  this  is  very  wonderful, 
for  it  certainly  is  true;  and  yet  I  never 
thought  of  it  before." 

"Yes,  my  friend,  we  are  now  talking  of 
living  persons,  and  life  is  always  wonder- 
ful. Do  you  not  now  recognize  the  mean- 
ing of  my  first  question,  'What  is  that  in 
thine  hand?'     I  was  speaking  of  property." 

"I  think  I  understand  you,  Sahib;  but 
please  make  your  meaning  very  plain  to 
me,  for  my  mind  seems  confused." 

"I  do  not  wish  to  confuse  you,  Ganga 
Dass,  but  to  help  you.  Do  you  not  recog- 
nize this  wonderful  truth  about  property, 
that  is,  about  'owning  things'  ?  Whenever 
you  think  of  property,  you  always  are 
thinking  of  a  living  person.  The  evening- 
breeze  cannot  'own'  anything;  vapor, 
clouds,  and  star-light  never  could  say, 
'This  wheat  is  mine.'  Is  this  not  plain  to 
you  ?" 

"Yes,  Sahib." 

"Very  well;  the  changeless  Brahm  is  not 


22  GAXGA    DASS 

a  Person  with  will  and  purpose;  Brahm 
cannot  do  anything;  therefore  the  change- 
less Brahm  cannot  'own'  anything.  If 
there  is  no  personal  and  living  God,  with 
power  and  dominion  over  the  world,  then 
divine  ownership  is  foolishness,  and  human 
beings  themselves  are  the  only  persons  who 
rightfully  can  say,  'This  wheat,  this  ox, 
this  gold  is  mine?  " 

"Ah,  Sahib,  by  your  own  words,  then,  my 
answer  to  your  first  question  was  exactly 
right;  for  did  not  I  say,  'This  wheat  is 
mine,  my  very  own'  and  the  money  also? 
Was  I  not  right?" 

"Ganga  Dass,  my  friend,  listen  to  me. 
If  the  Hindu  religion  is  wholly  true,  if 
Brahm  is  the  mysterious  and  unconscious 
soul  of  the  universe,  without  will  and  with- 
out knowledge,  then,  undoubtedly,  the 
property  which  you  have  rightfully  ac- 
quired, belongs  to  you,  for  there  is  no  di- 
vine Person.  The  government  and  your 
fellow  men  must  judge  whether  your 
ownership  is  righteous  or  unrighteous. 
But,  my  friend,  if  the  changeless  Brahm  is 
but  a  dream  of  weary  men,  if  God  the 
Father  Almighty  is  indeed  the  living  God, 
King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords,  if  He  is 
the  Supreme  Person  in  a  world  of  persons, 
then  He  hath  personal  dominion  over  the 
work  of  His  hands.  The  property  belongs 
to  Him,  for  'the  earth  is  the  Lord's,  and 
the  fullness  thereof.'  Let  us,  therefore, 
count  the  money  and  measure  the  wheat 
with  utmost  care,  for  we  are  computing 
property   which   belongs   to   Another.      To 


HINDU    GRAIN    MERCHANT     23 

acknowledge  God's  ownership  is  a  man's 
first  act  of  worship.  Right  here,  Ganga 
Dass,  beside  your  heaps  of  grain,  you  must 
answer  this  question — Is  eternal  God  per- 
sonal or  impersonal?" 

"Your  words  disturb  me,  Sahib;  I  would 
have  you  speak  further  concerning  this." 

"I  will  talk  with  you,  my  friend,  another 
day.  Remember  this :  Property  is  the  gate- 
way of  Religion.  God  Himself  hath  made 
it  so.  Men  will  neglect  their  holy  books, 
and  they  will  forget  to  pray,  but  they  never 
will  forget  to  count  their  money  nor  to 
measure  their  grain.  It  is  ever  thus  upon 
the  earth,  and  ever  shall  be.  Therefore 
before  prayer,  before  almsgiving,  before 
the  reading  of  any  sacred  book,  comes  this 
simple  yet  searching  question  of  the  Lord, 
'What  is  that  in  thine  hand?'  As  I  answer 
that  question,  I  shall  know  the  road  upon 
which  I  am  traveling — whether  it  be  the 
glorious  highway  of  the  living  God,  or  the 
dim  pathway  that  loses  itself  in  mists  and 
shadows.  Good  evening,  friend  Ganga 
Dass,  I  shall  talk  with  you  again." 

"Good  evening,  Sahibji,  but  do  not  stay 
away  too  long,  for  my  heart  is  troubled; 
please  return  to  me,  very  soon." 


II 

THE  CHRISTIAN  FARMER 


The  Earth  is  the  Lord's. — The  Psalms. 


THE  CHRISTIAN  FARMER 

"It  is  good  to  see  you,  Chatar  Masih; 
come  into  the  veranda  and  sit  with  me. 
Is  everything'  prospering  with  you  and 
with  your  household?" 

"Yes,  Sahib;  it  is  a  day  of  rejoicing  at 
our  house." 

"I  truly  can  believe  you,  Chatar  Masih, 
for  your  face  is  shining  like  sunrise  across 
the  Jamna !  How  is  Maryam,  and  how 
are  the  little  children?" 

"I  brought  them  with  me,  Sahib;  they 
stopped  for  one  moment  at  the  well.  Here 
they  come  just  now." 

"I  am  glad  to  see  you,  Sister  Maryam; 
Memsahiba  will  be  pleased  when  she  knows 
that  you  are  here.  And  here  are  Premi 
and  little  Durga!  I  think  I  saw  Sardar 
coming  from  the  market  this  morning  with 
fresh  jalebis.  But  little  Durga  does  not 
care  for  jalebis!     Ho,  ho!" 

"Ah,  Sahibji,  you  are  too  kind.  Durga 
already  has  eaten  more  jalebis  than  are 
good  for  him.  It  has  been  a  feast  day  at 
our  house,  for  God  has  been  very  good  to 
us." 

"I  am  glad  with  you,  my  brother.  It 
makes  me  rejoice  when  I  see  our  Christian 
people  prosperous  and  happy.  Yes,  Sister 
Maryam,  Memsahiba  is  quite  ready  to  see 
you  and  the  children;  you  will  find  her  in 

the  bungalow And  now,  Chatar 

Masih,  tell  me  of  your  prosperity." 
27 


28  GANG  A   DASS 

"The  wheat  is  sold,  Sahib,  and  I  have 
arranged  to  buy  a  yoke  of  oxen  for  the 
January  plowing.  This  I  have  long  de- 
sired to  do.  Moreover,  the  zamindar  [land- 
lord] has  promised  that,  next  year,  I  shall 
have  the  field  beyond  the  nala.  In  two 
years  Premi  will  be  ready  for  marriage, 
and  Brother  Bahadur  Singh,  who  owns 
three  yokes  of  oxen,  came  to  me  yesterday 
and  offered  to  make  a  marriage  arrange- 
ment for  his  son.  What  you  say  is  very 
true,  Sahib;  God  has  crowned  the  year 
with  his  goodness.  I  praise  His  holy 
Name." 

"This  is  good  news  indeed,  Chatar 
Masih.  Did  you  get  a  good  price  for  your 
wheat?" 

"Most  excellent,  Sahib;  four  rupees  per 
maund." 

"Ah,  my  brother,  I  am  glad  for  your 
sake.  It  is  much  more  than  I  expected  you 
to  get.  I  thought  the  price  of  wheat  was 
going  down.  But,  in  any  case,  the  grain 
merchant  must  make  his  profit,  and  what 
will  our  poor  people  do  during  this  cold 
season!  They  will  be  compelled  to  buy 
wheat  at  six  or  seven  seers  the  rupee.  It 
will  be  hard  for  them,  and  many  will  go 
hungry.  Was  four  rupees  the  regular 
market  price?" 

"No,  Sahib,  most  of  the  grain  merchants 
were  paying  three  rupees,  and  three  rupees 
and  one  quarter;  but  Ganga  Dass,  whose 
grain  shop  is  near  the  temple,  was  willing 
to  pay  me  four  rupees." 

"Indeed!    That  interests  me  very  greatly. 


THE    CHRISTIAN   FARMER      29 

Have  you  talked  further  with  Gang  a 
Dass?" 

"Yes,  often ;  he  has  been  wanting  to  visit 
with  me  every  market  day  since  the  rains. 
He  has  asked  me  many  questions  about 
Jesus  Christ,  and  last  week  I  gave  him  a 
copy  of  the  Gospel.  Yesterday,  when 
he  paid  me  for  the  wheat,  he  made  a  very 
curious  remark.  He  said  he  thought  'the 
owner  of  the  wheat'  would  be  pleased  if  he 
purchased  it  from  a  Christian  for  four 
rupees  instead  of  paying  the  regular  mar- 
ket price.  When  I  asked  him  if  he  meant 
that  God  was  the  owner,  he  smiled  and 
said,  'God  knows.'  Would  it  not  be  won- 
derful if  Ganga  Dass  should  become  a 
Christian?" 

"This  encourages  me  greatly,  Chatar 
Masih.  Ganga  Dass  has  been  much  upon 
my  heart.  During  the  rains  I  had  a  long 
talk  with  him,  and  I  have  visited  him  sev- 
eral times  since  then.  He  has  been  much 
impressed  with  the  simple  but  wonderful 
truth  that  the  Lord  God  is  a  Person,  that 
He  has  personal  dominion  over  this  world, 
and  is  therefore  owner  of  all  the  property 
that  we  possess."  , 

"Yes,  Sahib,  just  as  it  is  written  in  tne 
Psalm,  'The  earth  is  the  Lord's  and  the 
fullness  thereof.'  Premi  has  learned  the 
new  hymn  which  Memsahiba  has  been 
teaching  to  the  women,  'Rahh  Khudawand 
Badshah  hai  ['The  Lord  our  God  is 
King'].  She  sang  it  last  Sabbath  morning 
at  worship,  all  alone.  Then  I  testified,  and 
gave  praise  to  God,  because  Pie  is  truly  the 


30  GANGA   DASS 

Lord  of  the  whole  earth,  and  His  glory  will 
He  not  give  to  another." 

''Were  there  many  present  at  worship?" 

"Most  of  our  Christian  people  were 
there  and  two  or  three  Hindus  also.  One 
of  them  must  have  reported  my  testimony 
to  Thakur  Dhar,  the  zamindar,  for  he 
summoned  me  to  his  house  and  asked  what 
I  had  been  saying." 

"How  did  you  answer  him,  Chatar 
Masih?" 

''At  first  he  was  very  angry  because  he 
thought  I  had  announced  to  the  Christians 
that  he  was  not  rightful  proprietor  of  the 
land!  Of  course  I  explained  to  him  what 
I  meant  in  my  testimony,  that  I  was  not 
referring  to  any  person,  but  was  speaking 
of  God.  When  he  understood  what  I  really 
had  meant,  he  laughed  and  became  very 
good-natured ;  then  he  promised  to  let  me 
have  the  field  beyond  the  nala." 

"And  so  you  denied  your  Lord,  Chatar 
Masih,  that  you  might  turn  aside  the 
anger  of  your  zamindar!" 

"What,  Sahib,  I?  I  deny  my  Lord? 
Never !" 

"But  you  told  Thakur  Dhar  and  all  his 
household  that  God  is  not  a  living  God, 
that  He  is  like  the  dumb  and  dead  idols  by 
the  river."  ' 

"No,  Sahib,  I  could  not  say  such  wicked- 
ness !  Was  it  not  my  testimony  and 
praise  to  God  which  first  made  the  zamin- 
dar so  angry?  O  Sahibji,  I  could  not  deny 
my  Lord  who  has  given  me  such  blessing. 
You  will  break  my  heart!" 


THE    CHRISTIAN   FARMER      31 

"My  dear  brother,  listen  to  me.  What 
did  you  mean  when  you  said  to  Thakur 
Dhar  that  you  were  not  referring  to  a  per- 
son, but  were  speaking  of  God?  Is  not 
God  a  Person?" 

"God  a  Person?  I  do  not  understand 
you,  Sahib?  Are  not  Christians  taught 
to  believe  that  God  is  a  Spirit?" 

"Yes,  Chatar  Masih,  that  is  true.  But 
what  do  you  understand  when  you  say 
those  wonderful  words?  What  is  a  Spirit? 
Is  a  spirit  a  ghost?  Is  a  spirit  like  some 
shadow  hanging  in  the  air?" 

"A  ghost?  a  shadow?  Tell  me,  Sahib,  is 
it  so?  I  am  an  ignorant  man  and  do  not 
understand   these  things." 

"No,  my  brother,  it  is  not  so.  A  spirit 
is  not  a  ghost,  and  is  not  a  shadow.  A 
spirit  is  a  person.  That  is,  a  spirit  is  an 
intelligent  moral  being  who  is  able  to  know, 
and  able  to  choose,  in  a  word,  who  is  able 
to  say  1\  You  are  a  spirit,  I  am  a  spirit. 
That  is,  we  are  persons.  The  Bible  says 
that  man  was  made  in  the  image  of  God, 
and  God  is  a  Spirit." 

"But  I  always  thought  a  person  must  be 
some  one  who  is  alive!" 

"Yes,  that  is  true.  Is  not  our  God  a 
Urine/   God?" 

"But  the  Bible  says  that  no  man  hath 
seen  God  at  any  time;  yet  we  can  see  per- 
sons." 

"O  no,  Chatar  Masih,  that  is  a  mistake. 
We  cannot  see  persons.  I  cannot  see  you; 
you  cannot  see 'me.  You  can  see  only  my 
body,  that  is,  the  house  in  which  I  am  liv- 


32  GANGA   DASS 

ing.  Thakur  Dhar  was  not  angry  with 
your  body j  he  was  angry  with  you!  Is  it 
not  so?" 

"Yes,  Sahib,  that  is  very  true." 

"You  see,  my  brother,  our  bodies  are 
very  necessary  while  we  are  living  in  this 
world,  and  we  have  not  yet  learned  to  get 
on  without  them.  Therefore  we  often  be- 
come confused  in  our  understanding.  It  is 
difficult  for  us  to  think  of  a  person  with- 
out a  body.  And  yet  we  know  that  we  our- 
selves are  not  the  same  as  our  bodies. 
Some  day  we  shall  lay  our  bodies  down  as 
we  lay  down  a  heavy  burden ;  then  we  shall 
be  free  forever.  When  you  speak  of  your 
spirit  you  are  speaking  of  yourself.  Is  not 
this  perfectly  clear  to  you?" 

"Yes,  Sahib,  you  have  made  it  very 
plain." 

"Now,  Chatar  Masih,  do  you  not  under- 
stand what  Christians  mean  when  they 
say,  'God  is  a  Spirit'?  They  mean,  'God 
is  a  Person.'  Of  course  God  has  not  a 
body,  with  hands  and  feet;  that  is  the 
foolishness  of  idolaters.  Nevertheless  He 
is  a  Person — "Wonderful,  Counselor,  the 
Mighty  God,  the  everlasting  Father,  the 
Prince  of  Peace.  Have  you  not  sometimes 
felt  God's  blessing  resting  upon  you?  and 
was  not  His  blessing  upon  you  as  real  and 
personal  as  my  hand  which  is  now  resting 
upon  your  shoulder?" 

"Yes,  Sahib,  it  is  true.  Your  words 
make  my  heart  leap  up  like  a  young  heron 
among  the  reeds." 

"Ah,  brother,  I  know  your  heart  is  true. 


THE    CHRISTIAN    FARMER      33 

and  that  you  did  not  mean  to  deny  your 
Lord." 

"But  tell  me,  Sahib,  what  should  I  have 
spoken  to  Thakur  Dhar?  My  heart  is  filled 
with  shame  that  I  have  been  so  ignorant." 

"When  the  zamindar  called  you  to  his 
house,  God  gave  you  a  wonderful  oppor- 
tunity to  testify  for  Him.  You  might  have 
told  Thakur  Dhar  that,  while  he  had  right- 
ful title  to  the  land  according  to  the  law, 
and  you  were  glad  to  have  him  for  your 
zamindar  because  he  is  a  just  and  kind 
man,  nevertheless  God  the  Creator  is  the 
real  owner  of  the  land,  and  of  everything 
that  lives  upon  the  land,  men  and  cattle,. 
trees  and  grass,  fruit  and  grain.  You 
might  have  told  him  that  God,  the  owner, 
requires  every  man  to  acknowledge  His 
ownership  first  of  all,  for  His  name  is 
above  every  name.  This,  Chatar  Masih,  is 
the  simple  truth,  and,  some  day,  if  Chris- 
tians in  India  will  be  brave  in  their  testi- 
mony and  consistent  in  their  life,  the 
truth  shall  make  the  people  free.  They 
will  turn  aw.ay  from  their  many  gods  to 
serve  the  living  God.  But,  when  Thakur 
Dhar  heard  the  words  which  you  spoke,  he 
laughed  and  became  good-natured  again. 
Why?  Because  you  told  him  that  God, 
whom  Christians  worship,  is  not  One  to  be 
known;  in  fact  He  is  not  a  Person  at  all, 
but  is  like  the  impersonal  and  unconscious 
Brahm  of  which  the  pandits  speak.  Of 
course  you  did  not  say  all  this,  nor  did  you 
think  it;  but  Thakur  Dhar  understood  it 
so    because    he    is    a    Hindu,    and   believes 


34  GANGA   DASS 

what  the  pandits  teach.  You  lost  a  won- 
derful opportunity,  my  brother,  to  bear 
witness  to  the  truth." 

"O  Sahibji,  what  shall  I  do!  Will  you 
forgive  me?" 

"I  have  nothing  to  forgive,  my  brother; 
your  sin  is  against  God.  I  am  sure  that 
He  already  has  forgiven  you,  for  His 
lovingkindness  is  very  great.  But,  Cha- 
tar  Masih,  my  heart  is  sad,  for  I  fear  this 
sin  will  occur  many,  many  times.  This  is 
the  one  greatest  weakness  of  Indian  Chris- 
tians— indeed,  of  Christians  in  all  the 
world;  they  do  not  constantly  recognize 
that  God  is  a  living  Person.  Therefore 
they  forget  about  Him  and  fall  into  many 
sins.  The  reason  of  this  is  very  plain. 
Christians,  like  all  other  people  in  the 
world,  constantly  are  thinking  of  property, 
income,  and  wages;  and  this  is  right,  for 
men  must  provide  for  their  families.  But 
they  do  not  acknowledge  that  God  is  the 
living  owner  of  the  things  which  they 
possess.  Therefore  God  is  not  in  all  their 
thought.  They  are  thinking  of  oxen,  grain 
and  money,  yet  these  things  do  not  remind 
them  of  the  Owner." 

"Tell  me  more,  Sahib.  Teach  me  how  I 
always  may  remember  that  God  is  a  living 
Person;  for  I  love  Him  truly,  and  desire 
to  honor  Him  always." 

"I  am  sure  you  do,  my  brother,  and  I 
think  I  can  help  you.  How  many  people 
are  living  in  this  district  V 

"I  do  not  know,  Sahib;  there  are  many, 
many   thousands." 


THE    CHRISTIAN    FARMER      35 

"Yes,  Chatar  Masih,  there  are  several 
millions.  You  do  not  know  them  all,  do 
you  V 

•"Certainly  not;  I  do  not  know  every- 
body in  the  tehsil  [sub-district],  nor  even 
in  my  own  market  town.     How  could  I?" 

"It  certainly  would  be  very  difficult,  even 
if  you  were  head-clerk  to  the  tehsildar 
[tax  officer]  !  But  try  to  think  of  all  the 
people  you  know,  and  tell  me — whom  do 
you  remember  most  often?" 

"That  is  difficult  to  answer ;  I  think  very 
often  of  you,  Sahib." 

"You  are  a  flatterer,  Chatar  Masih!  But 
no  doubt  it  is  true,  my  brother;  for  I  cer- 
tainly remember  you,  and  pray  for  you. 
What  others?" 

'"I  think  of  my  wife  and  my  children, 
especially  when  I  am  away  from  them." 

"Yes,  and  what  others?" 

"I  do  not  know,  Sahib;  I  think  of  many 
people — the  thanadar  [officer  of  police], 
the  grain  merchants,  my  brother,  Masih 
Charan — I  cannot  tell  how  many." 

"'Whom  do  you  remember  when  you  look 
at  your  field,  and  plant  your  seed,  and  reap 
your  harvest '.  Do  you  think  of  any  par- 
ticular person?" 

••Certainly,  Sahib,  the  zamindar  [land- 
lord]." 

"Do  you  think  of  him  when  the  rains 
come  down,  and  when  the  crop  is  good?" 

-Yes." 

"Do  you  think  of  him  when  there  is  no 
rain  and  the  crop  is  a  failure?" 

'"Yes,  indeed,  more  than  ever!" 


36  GANGA   DASS 

"Did  you  think  of  him  this  week  when 
you  arranged  to  buy  your  yoke  of  oxen?" 

"Certainly,  I  had  to  ask  his  permission, 
for  I  have  not  yet  sufficient  money  to  pay 
for  them.  He  holds  a  mortgage  against 
them." 

"Do  you  ever  think  of  him  when  you 
plan  for  Premi's  marriage,  and  when  you 
remember  little  Durga  ?" 

"I  cannot  think  of  them  at  all,  but  I 
must  remember  the  zamindar  also." 

"Well,  Chatar  Masih,  it  seems  to  me  you 
think  of  Thakur  Dhar  more  often  than 
you  think  of  any  other  person  in  the  world ! 
Is  it  not  so?" 

"Yes,  Sahib,  I  am  afraid  that  this  is 
true." 

"But  why  do  you  think  of  him  so  often  ?" 

"Because,  Sahib,  I  owe  him  money!  He 
holds  the  land  and  must  receive  a  certain 
portion  of  the  grain,  no  matter  whether 
the  crop  is  large  or  small.  He  owns  the 
house  in  which  I  live,  and  I  must  pay  him 
rent.  I  borrowed  money  from  him  fifteen 
years  ago  when  I  was  married,  and  that 
burden  still  rests  upon  me.  He  has  ad- 
vanced half  the  money  for  the  oxen,  and 
now  I  owe  him  that.  I  must  think  of  him, 
Sahib,  for  his  hand  touches  me  and  my 
family  every  day." 

"You  do  not  see  him  every  day,  do  you?" 

"No,  but  I  remember  him  every  day, 
and  many  times  during  the  day.  I  think 
of  him  at  night  when  I  cannot  sleep.  If  I 
ever  should  forget  him,  I  have  only  to  look 
at  my  plow  and  oxen,  and  at  little  Durga, 


THE    CHRISTIAN   FARMER      37 

and  I  can  see  him  plainly,  standing  in 
front  of  me  with  my  hundi  [promissory 
note]  in  his  hands.  O  Sahib,  it  is  terrible 
to  be  in  debt !  I  never  can  rest  easy  in  my 
mind !" 

"Chatar  Masih,  you  are  speaking  one 
half  of  a  very  wonderful  truth.  But  there 
is  another  half  which  you  are  forgetting." 

"Tell  me,  Sahib,  for  my  debt  makes  me 
very  miserable." 

"Suppose  Thakur  Dhar  should  go  away 
to  live  in  a  distant  province  where  he  has 
many  rich  relations.  Before  he  starts  on 
his  journey  he  tells  you  that  the  time  of 
his  return  is  very  uncertain — although  he 
surely  will  return — and  that  you  may  have 
your  farm,  rent  free,  until  he  comes  again. 
After  he  has  gone  away,  would  you  still 
remember  him,  as  you  do  now,  every  day?" 

"I  surely  would  be  grateful  to  him  for 
his  kindness." 

"Xo  doubt,  Ohatar  Masih;  but  would 
you  constantly  remember  him?" 

"I  think.  Sahib,  that  I  should  be  afraid 
he  would  return  again,  very  suddenly,  and 
demand  an  accounting!" 

"Yes,  no  doubt  that  would  be  natural, 
especially  at  the  first.  But,  after  several 
years,  when  you  saw  that  your  zamindar 
delayed  his  coming,  when  you  had  grown 
accustomed  to  the  wonderful  fact  that  no 
one  asked  you  to  pay  over  any  portion  of 
the  crop,  nor  demanded  any  house  rent, 
and  that  no  hundi  ivala  [money  lender] 
ever  stood  at  your  door  to  remind  you  of 
any  debt,   what  do  you   think — would  not 


38  GANGA   DASS 

the  face  of  your  zamindar  gradually  fade 
until  it  became  a  dim  picture  in  your 
memory,  and  his  voice  like  a  song  that  has 
passed  away?" 

"Yes,  Sahib,  I  have  no  doubt  you  speak 
truly;  indeed  I  am  sure  of  it.  Chhota  Lall 
has  owed  me  twelve  rupees  for  more  than 
seven  years;  his  memory  is  so  very  poor  I 
have  to  remind  him  constantly.  If  I  should 
go  away  for  but  a  single  year,  he  would 
forget  about  me  altogether — and  the  twelve 
rupees  also!" 

"Ah,  my  brother,  I  am  afraid  that  most 
of  us  are  like  poor  Chhota  Lall.  God 
knows  how  weak  we  are,  and  how  foolish. 
He  knows  how  easily  we  could  forget  that 
He  is  a  Person,  and  how  very  easy  it  would 
be  to  think  of  Him  as  the  Hindus  think  of 
Brahm.  Could  anything  be  more  terrible 
than  to  forget  God,  or  to  think  of  Him  as 
a  shadowy,  dim,  and  distant  vapor,  without 
personality,  and  having  no  power  to  do 
anything,  or  know  anything,  or  love  any- 
one! God  would  not  permit  His  children 
to  fall  into  such  awful  darkness.  There- 
fore He  proclaimed  for  them  the  law  of 
property — for  property,  wages,  and  money 
are  never  forgotten.  It  is  a  law  that  comes 
out  of  the  loving  heart  of  God  Himself,  for 
God  is  Love." 

"Tell  me  that  law,  Sahib." 

"We  have  been  speaking  about  it,  and 
you  already  are  familiar  with  it:  'Oicncr- 
ship  mast  be  acknowledged/  " 

"But,  how  shall  we  acknowledge  it  I  I 
do  not  understand." 


THE    CHRISTIAN   FARMER      39 

"Do  you  acknowledge  that  Thakur  Dhar 
is  zamindar,  that  is,  that  he  has  control 
of  the  land?" 

•'Yes,  Sahib,  I  must  acknowledge  it." 

''But  how  do  you  acknowledge  it?" 

"I  pay  him  a  certain  proportion  of  the 
crop." 

"Who  fixes  that  proportion,  you  or  the 
zamindar  ?" 

"0,  the  zamindar,  always!  I  could  not 
fix  it,  I  am  only  the  tenant." 

"But  is  the  zamindar  really  the  owner  of 
the  land?" 

"No,  indeed,  'The  earth  is  the  Lord's.' 
Thakur  Dhar  merely  holds  a  title  from 
the  Government." 

"Then  how  shall  we  acknowledge  God's 
absolute  Ownership?  Is  not  God  a  Per- 
son ?  The  law  of  property  came  from  God, 
and  it  is  one  law  everywhere.  Shall  we 
not  pay  unto  God  a  certain  proportion  of 
the  income  which  He  gives  us  power  to 
acquire,  a  proportion  which  God  himself 
shall  fix?  Do  we  not  thus  acknowledge 
God's  absolute  dominion  over  the  land 
noon  which  we  live,  and  over  the  wages 
which  He  gives  us  ability  to  earn?" 

"But  I  must  pay  more  than  half  the 
grain  to  the  zamindar;  it  does  not  remain 
in  my  hands." 

"Very  true,  Chatar  Masih,  and  God,  who 
is  the  real  owner  of  the  land,  will  require 
acknowledgment  from  the  zamindar  as  well 
as  from  you — although,  alas!  Thakur  Dhar 
does  not  understand  this.  Nevertheless,  a 
certain  part  remains  with  you;   otherwise 


40  GANGA   DASS 

you  could  not  live.     Out  of  this  portion  you 
.are  to  make  acknowledgment  to  God." 

"But,  Sahib,  money  and  grain  cannot 
be  given  to  God.  These  things  are  for 
persons/' 

''Be  careful,  Chatar  Masih;  is  not  God 
a  Person  ?" 

''0  Sahibji,  I  forgot  my  lesson !  Of 
course  God  is  a  Person ;  He  is  my  Heavenly 
Father.  But  I  am  confused.  How  can 
God  receive  money  or  grain?" 

"Why,  my  brother,  if  you  were  ready  to 
make  your  acknowledgment  to  Thakur 
Dhar,  and  his  portion  of  the  grain  was 
lying  in  a  heap  by  itself,  could  he  not  give 
you  an  order  to  pay  the  grain  or  the  money 
to  Bam  Charan  his  son,  and  would  not  this 
be  the  same  as  paying  it  to  the  zamindar 
himself?" 

"Surely,  Sahib,  and  that  is  what  I  did, 
this  very  week!  I  see  what  you  mean.  If 
I  pay  the  money  or  the  grain  to  those 
whom  God  shall  name,  in  this  way  I  am 
paying  it  directly  unto  God  Himself.  It 
is  very  wonderful !" 

"Yes,  Chatar  Masih,  it  is  indeed  wonder- 
ful. Therefore,  what  proportion  of  our  in- 
come shall  we  render  unto  God  I" 

"Do  I  know,  Sahib?" 

"Yes,   my   brother,    I    think   you   do.      I 
often  have  told  you  what  this  proportion 
is,  and  you  yourself  have  read  it  in  God's 
Holy  Word.    Do  you  not  remember  it?" 
,  "Is  this  the  law  of  the  tenth,  Sahib  ?" 

"Yes,  Chatar  Masih,  God's  Law — the  law 
of  property.     God  might  have  named  some 


THE    CHRISTIAN    FARMER      41 

other  ratio,  but,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  God 
did  name  the  tenth.  This  law  is  older  than 
the  Bible.  It  began  when  worship  first 
began  upon  the  earth.  It  proclaims  the 
dominion  of  God  over  all  our  material  pos- 
sessions." 

"But,  Sahib,  is  this  law  for  poor  people 
as  well  as  for  the  rich?  It  would  be  very 
difficult  for  poor  people  to  set  apart  a 
tenth.  Their  portion  is  very,  very  small, 
and  their  need  is  great." 

"How  strangely  we  think  of  God,  as 
though  He  were  demanding  something 
from  us!  The  tenth  indeed  is  God's  law 
of  property  acknowledgment;  it  therefore 
is  the  same  whether  one's  income  be 
great  or  small.  But  we  must  understand 
this  law.  Its  deep  inner  truth  is  that 
we  shall  remember  God's  ownership,  and 
thus  look  to  Him  for  His  blessing  and  His 
guidance.  God's  law  of  the  tenth  is  the 
very  cure  of  poverty.  If  the  poor  would 
but  remember  it,  many  of  them  would  be 
delivered.  They  feel  the  pressure  of  their 
many  debts  and  it  makes  them  miserable; 
if  they  would  recognize  God's  portion,  and 
thus  remember  His  ownership,  God  could 
bless  them  in  basket  and  store  even  as  he 
has  promised.  As  it  is  they  'manage'  for 
themselves  without  God,  and  live  and  die 
in  poverty.  They  are  like  poor  little  birds 
out  in  the  storm,  they  will  not  seek  the 
shelter  of  the  Rock.  As  for  the  rich,  their 
failure  to  observe  this  law  is  the  snaring 
of  their  own  feet.  They  become  sufficient 
in   themselves   and  have  need  of  nothing. 


42  GANGA   DASS 

The  loving  God  is  robbed — not  of  money — 
but  of  honor,  loyalty,  and  the  obedient  fel- 
lowship of  his  children." 

"But,  Sahib,  is  the  law  of  the  tenth 
absolutely  binding  upon  us?" 

"Is  honor  binding  upon  us,  my  brother? 
You  would  not  ask  such  a  question  if  you 
did  not  constantly  forget  that  God  is  a 
Person.  You  would  not  ask  it  if  you 
thought  that  you  were  dealing  with  Thakur 
Dhar,  even  though  you  know  that  your 
Hindu  landlord  does  not  care  for  you  at 
all,  but  only  for  himself.  Is  loyalty  bind- 
ing, my  brother,  and  fellowship,  and 
character,  and  truth?" 

"Why,  Sahib,  this  law  would  make  God 
my  partner  and  not  my  master !" 

"Do  you  see  it,  Chatar  Masih,  do  you 
see  it?  Then  mark  this  day  with  red! 
Look  in  the  Gospel,  my  friend,  and  find 
Christ's  promise  of  partnership;  you  will 
find  it  written  in  Saint  John's  Gospel, 
fifteenth  chapter,  fifteenth  verse.  Look  for 
it,  laughing,  for  you  have  discovered  the 
secret  of  God  upon  the  earth:  'I  call  you 
not  servants — I  have  called  you  friends.' 
Will  you  not  acknowledge  His  dominion 
and  become  indeed  His  friend?" 

" Sahib ji,  I  will,  I  will !  I  will  begin  this 
very  day  by  setting  apart  one  tenth  of  the 
money  which  I  have  received  from  Ganga 
Dass!" 

"God  be  praised,  my  brother;  you  will 
never  regret  the  decision  which  you  have 
made." 

"But  you  must  help  me,  Sahib,  or  I  shall 


THE    CHRISTIAN    FARMER      43 

make  many  mistakes.  I  do  not  want  to 
grieve  my  Divine  Friend  any  more.  What 
shall  I  do  with  the  tenth?  Please  help  me, 
Sahib,  as  you  already  have  done." 

"How  eager  you  are !  But  we  should  not 
ask,  'What  shall  I  do  with  the  tenths  for 
'the  tenth  shall  be  holy  unto  the  Lord.'  It 
is  rather  for  us  to  inquire — 'What  hath 
God  done  with  His  tenth?'  for  this  sacred 
portion  in  a  peculiar  and  personal  sense  'is 
the  Lord's.'  God  has  indicated  His  own 
purpose  concerning  it,  and  no  Christian 
need  make  any  mistake.  This  is  a  subject 
which  concerns  the  Church,  for  it  opens 
the  whole  question  of  Christian  Steward- 
ship. Therefore  please  take  my  greeting 
to  Padri  Ishwar  Parshad.  Tell  him  that 
I  hope,  with  God's  blessing,  to  be  at  your 
house  next  Monday  evening,  and  that  I 
shall  be  very  glad  if  he  could  find  it 
possible  to  be  present  also." 

"Yes,  Sahib." 

"We  shall  talk  of  stewardship,  and  after- 
ward, if  the  pastor  is  willing,  we  may  call 
the  Christian  people  together.  Many  Chris- 
tians will  be  glad  to  learn  this  wonderful 
law  of  property;  Hindus  and  Mohamme- 
dans will  be  interested  also.  I  am  very 
sure  that  Ganga  Dass  would  be  interested, 
for  the  tenth  is  our  simple  yet  wonderful 
acknowledgment  of  God's  personal  owner- 
ship and  dominion.  But  I  am  afraid  Ganga 
Dass  would  not  desire  to  visit  at  the  house 
of  a  Christian.  In  any  case,  call  the  pastor, 
and  let  us  learn  God's  purpose  concerning 
stewardship  and  the  tenth.   .    .    .   Ah,  here 


44  GANGA   DASS 

come  Sister  Maryam  and  the  children.  I  am 
sure  Durga  has  been  eating  jalebis !  .  .  . 
Salam,  my  brother.  Salam,  Sister  Maryam 
and  Premi.  God  bless  you  all!  Do  not 
forget  my  greeting  to  the  pastor!" 
"Salam,  Sahibji !    I  will  not  forget !" 


Ill 

THE  VILLAGE  COUNCIL 


Christ   also   loved  the  church,  and  gave 
himself  for  it. — Ephesians  5.  25. 


THE  VILLAGE  COUNCIL 


"Padri  Ishwar  Parshad!     Padri  Ishwar 

Parshad!  I  have  lost  my  breath  running 
to  overtake  you !" 

"Ah,  Chatar  Masih,  good  morning.  I 
am  sorry  I  cannot  stop  and  visit  with  you, 
but  I  must  hasten.  The  tehsildar  has  sent 
for  me." 

"Is  there  any  trouble?" 

"Yes,  the  tehsildar's  uncle  is  dying." 

"Do  you  mean  the  rich  Hakim,  Jisukh 
Kae?" 

"Yes,  but  he  is  rich  no  longer!  Already 
his  relations  are  dividing  the  property 
among  themselves;  the  old  Hakim,  sick 
and  helpless,  lies  upon  his  cot  and  hears 
them  quarreling  about  the  money.  I  pity 
him.  Health  is  gone,  wealth  is  gone,  but 
the  thoughts  of  his  heart  are  not  gone! 
[Hindu  proverb :  'Hal  gay  a,  ahval  gay  a,  dil 
At  hhiyal  na  gaya.'~\  I  am  hastening  to  his 
bedside,  so  you  must  excuse  me." 

"Let  me  walk  by  your  side,  Padri  Ishwar 
Pershad.  Is  the  old  Hakim  able  to  talk 
with  you?" 

"No,  but  he  wishes  me  to  sit  with  him. 
You  know  he  always  has  been  a  friend  to 
our  Christian  people,  and  I  love  him  very 
much.  The  Brahman  priest  sits  by  the 
door  repeating  the  mantras  while  I  sit  on 
47 


48  GAXGA   DASS 

the  edge  of  the  cot  and  pray  silently  to 
God.  I  believe  that  Jisukh  Rae  is  com- 
forted because  I  am  near  him." 

"He  has  given  away  much  money,  has  he 
not?" 

"Yes,  Chatar  Masih,  no  Hakim  in  this 
district  ever  has  been  so  kind  and  gener- 
ous as  he.  Yesterday,  while  his  sons  were 
quarreling  over  the  property  he  looked  at 
me  and  said,  'They  cannot  quarrel  over  the 
money  which  I  have  given  to  the  poor,' — 
and  then  he  smiled.  His  alms,  like  the 
alms  of  the  Roman  Cornelius  in  the  New 
Testament,  surely  will  'come  up  for  a  me- 
morial before  God.'  " 

"O,  I  hope  Jisukh  Rae  will  confess 
Christ  before  he  dies ;  I  am  sure  he  is 
already  a  Christian  in  his  heart.  Do  you 
know  of  any  Christians  who  have  given 
away  as  much  money  as  he?" 

"No,  Chatar  Masih,  not  in  India;  most 
of  our  Christians  are  among  the  poor.  'Not 
many  mighty,  not  many  noble  are  called.'  " 

"Alas,  Padri  Ishwar  Pershad,  why  must 
it  be  so!  I  pray  that  our  people  may  be 
delivered  from  poverty,  and  that  they  may 
be  counted  among  the  rich  and  powerful 
of  the  land." 

"Nay,  my  brother,  make  not  such  a 
prayer — or,  rather,  pray  that  our  Christian 
people  may  learn  to  acknowledge  the 
ownership  of  God.  Riches,  without  under- 
standing, will  become  a  snare  to  their 
feet." 

"Why,  Padri,  those  are  the  very  words 
which  the  superintendent  spoke  to  me  last 


THE    VILLAGE    COUNCIL        40 

week!  He  has  been  teaching  me  many 
wonderful  things  and  will  visit  me  at  my 
house  this  day  at  evening  time.  He  sends 
greeting  to  you  and  asks  that  you  may  be 
present  also." 

"Surely,  Chatar  Masih,  the  paths  of  God 
are  beautiful!  This  is  the  very  day  I  had 
purposed  to  go  to  the  Mission  House,  and 
now  the  Sahib  will  himself  come  to  the 
village.  I  have  news  that  will  make  his 
heart  rejoice;  Ganga  Dass  desires  bap- 
tism." 

"Blessed  be  the  name  of  Jesus!  I  have 
been  expecting  this  for  more  than  a  month. 
I  often  have  talked  to  Ganga  Dass,  and 
had  a  conversation  with  him  last  week 
when  he  bought  my  wheat.  Is  it  not  won- 
derful that  he  will  now  become  a  Chris- 
tian?" 

"Yes,  his  heart  has  been  hungry  to  know 
the  living  God.  Thousands  of  Hindus  are 
weary  with  following  after  shadows." 

"Has  he  told  you  of  his  conversion?" 

"Yes ;  it  began  during  the  rains  when 
Sahib  talked  with  him  about  wheat  and 
money,  and  explained  how  property  always 
means  the  presence  or  power  of  a  person." 

"O  Padri,  can  you  not  bring  Ganga  Dass 
this  evening  to  meet  the  Sahib?  My  hum- 
ble tome  will  indeed  be  honored!  Can 
you  not  bring  him?" 

"I  am  sure,  my  brother,  that  Ganga  Dass 
will  be  glad  to  come.  He  reveres  our 
beloved  superintendent  and  already  is 
friendly  with  our  Christian  people.  But 
you  yourself  would  better  fetch  him,  for 


50  GAXGA   DASS 

I  shall  be  detained  at  the  bedside  of 
Jisukh  Rae.  Peace  be  with  you  until  the 
evening".  Give  greeting  from  me  to  Ganga 
Dass,  and  tell  Sahib,  with  respect,  that  I 
shall  come  to  your  house  at  the  earliest 
moment." 

II 

"Like  the  rain  that  comes  from  heaven, 
Like  the  sunshine  from  the  sky. 
So  the  Holy  Ghost  is  given. 
Coming  on  us  from  on  high." 

"Ah,  Premi,  thank  you!  You  are  learn- 
ing to  sing  very  sweetly.  That  is  one  of 
the  new  songs;  where  did  you  learn  it?" 

"Memsahib  taught  me,  Sahibji;  I  can 
sing  all  the  verses,  and  the  chorus  too." 

"How  splendid!  And  how  beautiful  it 
is  for  you  to  come  all  the  way  to  the  edge 
of  the  village  to  meet  me!  Have  you  been 
waiting  long?" 

"Not  very  long,  Sahibji.  See  what  I 
have  brought  for  you." 

"Garlands  of  flowers !  How  sweet  they 
smell !  And  now  I  must  bend  my  head 
very  low  so  that  you  can  hang  them  about 
my  neck.  .  .  .  There!  I  feel  as  proud  as 
a  rajah  at  the  wedding  of  his  son !  Take 
my  hand,  Premi,  and  let  us  walk  together. 
Did  you  help  to  make  these  pretty  gar- 
Lands?" 

"Xo,  ]\famaji  made  them,  brother  Durga 
and  I  held  the  basket." 

"Then  brother-  Durga  and  you  truly  did 
help,  and  I  am  very  grateful  to  you.  Sar- 
dar  has  something  in  that  tiffin-box  which 


THE    VILLAGE    COUNCIL        51 

will  make  your  mouth  water;  we  soon  shall 
reach  your  home,  then  we  shall  open  the 
box,  and  Durga  will  dance  for  joy!  .  .  . 
Here  we  are  at  the  idol  temple,  and  yonder 
is  the  grain  shop  of  Ganga  Dass.  I  must 
stop  for  a  moment,  Premi,  and  speak  to 
him." 

uXo,  Sahibji,  Guru  Ganga  Dass  is  not 
in  his  shop;  he  is  at  our  house  with  my 
father  waiting  for  you." 

"Ganga  Dass  at  your  house!  I  shall 
have  double  pleasure;  let  us  hasten." 

"There  is  Mamaji,  coming  from  the  well, 
and  there  is  Brother  Durga  behind  her!" 

"Sure  enough!  Come,  Sardar,  open  the 
tiffin-box  quickly!  ...  I  am  glad  to  see 
you,  Sister  Maryam.  Memsahiba  sends 
greeting  and  hopes  that  you  are  well. 
Salam,  Durga,  my  little  man,  what  a  fine 
new  coat  you  have!  Do  you  see  what 
Sardar  has  brought  you?  Do  you  know 
what  these  are?     Jalebis!" 

"O  Sahibji,  you  never  forget  the  chil- 
dren !  Premi  and  Durga  always  are  talk- 
ing of  your  kindness.  They  think  God 
must  be  just  like  you.  They  love  you  very 
much." 

"And  I  love  them,  Sister  Maryam;  I 
am  sure  I  could  not  forget  them  if  I  tried ! 
Is  Chatar  Masih  well?" 

"Yes,  Sahibji,  we  give  thanks  to  God  for 
his  goodness.  Guru  Ganga  Dass  is  with 
my  husband  and  both  are  hungry  to  see 
you.  There  is  my  husband  now,  standing 
to  welcome  you  at  the  door.  Ganga  Dass 
is  within,  waiting  on  the  haramda."  .  .  . 


52  GAXGA   DASS 

"Salam,  Brother  Chatar  Masih,  it  is 
good  to  see  you  again;  your  face  is  like  a 
cloudless  morning." 

"True,  Sahib,  for  how  could  clouds  or 
darkness  remain  when  my  missionary 
father,  like  the  glorious  sun,  is  shining 
upon  me?" 

"Ah,  Chatar  Masih,  it  is  not  your  mis- 
sionary, but  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  that 
has  shined  upon  you!  Is  Padri  Ishwar 
Pershad  well,  and  are  the  Christians  in  the 
village  prospering?" 

"Yes,  Sahib,  we  are  all  well;  no  sickness 
has  come  among  our  people.  But  the  old 
Hakim,  Jisukh  Pae,  is  ill  and,  perhaps, 
dying.  Padri  Ishwar  Pershad  is  now  at 
his  bedside  in  the  tehsildar's  house.  He 
sends  his  love  and  greeting,  and  hopes  to 
be  here  presently." 

"I  am  sorry  that  Jisukh  Pae  is  ill.  He 
is  a  good  man.  I  had  hoped  he  would  con- 
fess Christ.  Is  it  true  that  Ganga  Dass 
is  at  your  house?" 

"Yes,  Sahib,  he  is  here;  he  has  been  tell- 
ing me  that  he  is  ready  to  become  a  Chris- 
tian. He  waits  within  to  pay  his  respects 
to  you.  Please  enter  my  humble  home  and 
make  it  beautiful.  ...  Be  glad,  Brother 
Ganga  Dass,  Sahib  is  come!" 

Ill 

"Salam,  Ganga  Dass,  my  friend." 
"Many,  many  Salams,  Sahibji ;  I  praise 
God  that  I  look  upon  your  face." 

"Sit  beside  me,  Ganga  Dass,  and  tell  me 


THE    VILLAGE    COUNCIL        53 

the  good  news.  Is  it  true  that  Jesus  Christ 
has*  come  into  your  heart  ?" 

"Yes,  Sahibji,  it  is  true.  My  soul  has 
been  like  a  frail  vessel  on  an  angry  river. 
Darkness  has  been  round  about  me.  Last 
night,  as  I  lay  upon  my  bed,  a  sweet  voice 
spoke  within  my  heart,  and  said,  'Fear  not, 
Ganga  Dass,  I  have  redeemed  thee.'  All 
this  day  joy,  like  a  gentle  flowing  river, 
has  been  bearing  my  peaceful  soul." 

"Thank  God,  Ganga  Dass,  my  prayer  is 
answered!  Come,  Premi,  sing  the  sweet 
song  that  Memsahiba  has  been  teaching 
you — the  one  you  sang  for  me  at  the  edge 
of  the  village.     Sing  the  first  verse." 

"I  am  frightened,  Sahibji." 

"No,  Premi,  you  need  not  be  afraid; 
Jesus  will  help  you.  Stand  by  my  knee 
and  let  me  hold  your  hand.  Now  you  can 
sing." 

"Joys  are  flowing  like  a  river 

Since  the  Comforter  has  come ; 
He  abides  with  us  forever, 

Makes  the  trusting  heart  his  home." 

"Thank  you,  Premi,  your  voice  is  sweet 
and  clear.     Xow  sing  the  chorus." 

'"Blessed  quietness  !    Holy  quietness  ! 
What  assurance  in  my  soul ! 
On  a  stormy  sea  Jesus  speaks  to  me, 
And  the  billows  cease  to  roll." 

"Does  not  that  song  tell  your  own  ex- 
perience, Brother  Ganga  Dass?" 

"O  Sahibji,  my  heart  is  melting  like  wax 
before  the  fire!     How  can  little  Premi  im- 


54  GAXGA    DASS 

derstand  what  is  passing  in  my  breast  \     I 
cannot  keep  back  my  tears." 

"Nay,  Ganga  Dass,  it  is  not  the  little 
child  who  understands  your  heart,  it  is  the 
Spirit  of  the  living  God,  speaking  to  you 
by  her  lips.  This  is  a  Christian  song,  and 
it  tells  the  sweet  experience  of  every 
human  heart  that  comes  home  to  God. 
Come,  Premi,  sing  the  second  and  third 
verses." 

"Like  the  rain  that  falls  from  heaven, 
Like  the  sunlight  from  the  sky, 
So  the  Holy  Ghost  is  given, 
Coming  on  us  from  on  high. 

"What  a  wonderful  salvation. 

Where  we  always  see  his  face ! 
What  a  peaceful  habitation, 
What  a  quiet  resting  place  !" 

"0  Sahibji,  the  song  is  breaking  my 
heart!  I  never  understood  until  to-day 
that  God  is  a  living  Person,  that  He  knows 
my  thoughts  and  all  the  evil  that  is  within 
me,  and  yet  He  loves  me !" 

"Yes,  Ganga  Dass,  He  loves  you." 

"O  Sahibji,  tell  all  the  Hindus  what  you 
explained  to  me  when  you  came  to  my 
shop  in  the  rains!" 

"Do  you  mean  when  I  asked  you  the 
question,  'What  is  that  in  thy  hand  V  " 

"Yes,  Sahib;  never  until  that  day  did  I 
think  of  God  as  a  living  and  personal 
Friend.  I  always  thought  of  Brahm,  the 
shadowlike  soul  of  the  universe,  of  which 
the  pandits  speak.  I  thought  that  Brahm 
was  present  in  the  trees  and  the  grass  and 


THE    VILLAGE    COUNCIL        55 

the  clouds,  in  the  oxen  and  the  goats,  and 
also  in  men,  but  I  never  dreamed  of  know- 
ing God  for  myself  and  feeling  His  love 
in  my  heart.  Brahm  is  but  a  shadow; 
God  is  the  living  Reality." 

"How  did  my  question  help  you,  Ganga 
Dass?" 

"O  Sahib,  you  made  it  so  clear  to  me 
that  'property'  must  always  mean  a  'per- 
son,' and  that  'ownership,'  whether  of  grain 
or  cattle  or  money,  never  can  remain  with 
people  on  the  earth.  They  soon  must  die 
and  pass  away,  and  then  what  will  become 
of  their  'ownership'  ?" 

"Yes,  Ganga  Dass,  and  how  did  you  find 
the  answer?" 

"I  saw  that  all  men  were  holding  fast  to 
their  possessions.  The  farmer  watched 
over  his  bullocks  as  though  they  were  his 
own  children;  the  goldsmith  weighed  his 
rings  and  bracelets  and  locked  them  in  his 
strong  box  as  though  he  could  hold  them 
forever;  even  the  beggars  in  the  road 
clutched  their  kauri  shells  and  coppers,  and 
hid  them  away  in  their  rags  as  though  they 
were  a  king's  treasure." 

"True,  Ganga  Dass." 

"And  then,  Sahib,  I  remembered  your 
questions,  'Is  the  changeless  Brahm  a  per- 
son ?  is  Brahm  intelligent?'  and  my  soul 
was  filled  with  fear.  One  day  Padri  Ish- 
war  Pershad  visited  me  in  my  shop  and 
repeated  a  verse  from  the  Christian  Scrip- 
tures. It  was  like  this:  'The  ox  knoweth 
his  owner,  and  the  ass  his  master's  crib : 
.  .  .  but  my  people  doth  not  consider.'  " 


56  GANGA    DASS 

"Yes,  Ganga  Dass,  that  is  written  in  the 
book  of  Isaiah,  the  prophet,  the  first  chap- 
ter and  third  verse." 

"Thank  you,  Sahib,  I  shall  remember  it. 
Presently  Padri  Ishwar  Pershad  went 
away,  but  I  could  not  forget  the  Scripture 
which  he  had  repeated.  Everywhere  on  the 
walls  of  my  shop  the  words  seemed  written 
in  letters  of  fire, 

"  'The  Ox  Knoweth, 
The  Ass  Knoweth, 
Ganga  Dass  Knoweth  Not.' 

When  I  measured  out  wheat  for  my  cus- 
tomers, every  seer  seemed  like  a  pot  of 
gold,  and  a  voice  would  whisper  within  me, 
*  Who  is  the  owner  ?     Who  is  the  owner  V  " 

"God's  Spirit  was  teaching  you,  Ganga 
Dass." 

"I  am  sure  of  it,  Sahib.  Every  night  I 
dreamed  of  a  deep  and  awful  abyss,  and 
out  of  the  abyss  came  a  shadowy  vapor, 
which  I  thought  was  Brahm,  choking  me 
and  smothering  me  into  numbness ;  then 
I  would  cry  aloud,  and  the  shadowy  vapor 
slowly  vanished  away  and  a  beautiful 
Presence  smiled  upon  me  and  took  away 
my  fear." 

"Praise  be  to  God,  my  brother." 

"O  Sahib,  tell  all  the  Hindus  that  God 
is  very  real  and  very  near,  that  He  indeed 
is  a  living  God  and  filled  with  loving-kind- 
ness." 

"You  shall  tell  them  for  yourself,  Ganga 
Dass.  I  will  write  down  what  you  have 
said  to   me  to-night,  and  Hindus  will  be 


THE    VILLAGE    COUNCIL        57 

glad   to   read  it.     It  will  be  a  comfort  to 
thousand-." 

IV 

"Padri  Ishwar  Pershad  told  me,  Sahib, 
that  the  Holy  Bible  teaches  Christians 
how  to  worship  the  great  and  loving  God." 

"Yes,  Ganga  Dass,  the  Word  of  God  is  a 
lamp  unto  our  feet,  and  a  light  unto  our 
path.  It  teaches  us  how  to  worship  God  in 
spirit  and  in  truth." 

'"Then.  Sahib,  please  make  it  plain  to 
me.  When  you  first  visited  me  in  my  shop, 
during  the  rains,  you  told  me  that  'to  ac- 
knowledge God's  ownership  is  a  man's  first 
act  of  worship.'  I  never  have  forgotten 
your  words.  Tell  me  what  you  meant, 
Sahib,  for  I  love  God  with  all  my  heart, 
and  long  to  worship  him." 

"Ganga  Dass,  pure  worship  means  the 
silent  homage  of  the  soul.  It  is  always 
twofold.  It  means  the  lifting  up  of  the 
heart  and  also  the  laying  down  of  the  will. 
It  is  like  extending  the  two  hands  before 
God.     Do  you  understand  me?" 

"Yes,  Sahib,  I  think  I  understand.  At 
least  I  know  that  my  heart  is  bubbling  up 
just  now  with  love  and  gratitude.  Is  that 
worship,  Sahib?" 

"Truly,  Ganga  Dass,  that  is  worship. 
Now,  my  brother,  worship  among  Chris- 
tian people  is  not  like  the  sacred  bathing 
of  Hindus  in  the  river  or  bowing  down 
before  a  shrine,  neither  is  it  like  the  stated 
prayers  of  the  Mohammedans.  Christian 
worship  needs  no  outward  forms  at  all.     It 


58  GANGA   DASS 

means  worship  of  the  heart  and  will.  It  is 
spiritual.  Therefore  the  Christian  must 
worship  every  minute  of  the  day,  and  every 
day  of  the  year  through  all  his  life."' 

"But,  Sahib,  how  can  one  worship  all 
the  time!  Must  not  a  Christian  work  and 
eat  and  walk  about?" 

"Can  you  not  love  God  all  the  time, 
Ganga  Dass?  And  can  you  not  be  doing 
his  holy  will  whether  you  are  working  or 
walking  or  taking  your  food?" 

"O  Sahibji,  I  understand!  I  am  wor- 
shiping God  just  now  while  I  sit  here  talk- 
ing with  you,  because  I  love  Him  and  de- 
sire to  do  His  will!" 

"True,  my  brother,  you  and  I  are  wor- 
shiping God  together,  because  we  love  Him 
and  love  each  other." 

"But,  Sahib,  the  Christian  people  of  this 
village  come  together  on  the  first  day  of 
the  week.  I  often  have  seen  them  gather- 
ing right  here  at  Chatar  Masih's  house, 
and  I  have  listened  to  the  singing." 

"Very  true,  Ganga  Dass.  Christians 
gather  together  on  the  Lord's  Day  for 
spiritual  fellowship  and  to  receive  instruc- 
tion from  the  Word  of  God.  One  hour 
spent  in  worshiping  together  on  the  first 
day  of  the  week  makes  it  easier  for  Chris- 
tians to  worship  God  during  all  the  week, 
when  they  will  be  busy  at  their  wrork.  You 
have  seen  the  cook  making  bread,  have  you 
not?" 

"Yes,  Sahib,  often,  at  Puran  Mai's  bake- 
shop." 

"What  makes  the  loaves  rise  in  the  pan 


THE    VILLAGE    COUNCIL        59 

until  they  become  light  and  soft  and  pleas- 
ant to  the  taste  V 

"Puran  Mai  mixes  leaven  with  the  meal.*' 

"Does  he  use  much  leaven  V 

"0,  no,  Sahib,  not  the  quarter  of  a 
chitahj  a  very  little  leaven  is  sufficient  for 
twenty  loaves." 

"True,  Ganga  Dass ;  and  so  it  is  with  the 
leaven  of  Christian  worship  on  the  first 
day  of  the  week,  it  leavens  the  whole  week 
and  makes  all  the  days  beautiful  with  joy 
and  patience,  and  with  deeds  of  loving- 
kindness.  Therefore  it  is  necessary  that 
Christian  worship  on  the  first  day  of  the 
week  should  be  perfect  and  complete." 

"What  do  you  mean,  Sahib?" 

"I  mean  the  twofold  nature  of  worship 
ought  to  be  observed — that  is,  the  lifting 
up  of  the  heart  and  the  laying  down  of 
the   will." 

"How  can  this  be  done,  Sahib?  Teach 
me,  for  I  desire  to  worship  God  'in  spirit 
and  in  truth.'  " 

"It  is  a  joy  to  teach  you,  my  brother. 
Moreover,  I  am  glad  that  we  are  sitting  in 
Chatar  Masih's  house,  for  all  our  Christian 
people  need  to  know  the  way  of  Christian 
worship.  Did  not  Premi's  singing  bring 
blessing  to  your  heart,  Ganga  Da--  \n 

"Ah,  Sahib ji,  it  was  like  opening  a  door 
into  a  garden  of  musk;  my  heart  was  lifted 
within  me." 

"Yes,  Ganga  Dass,  and  so  it  is  always 
when  Christians  worship  God  on  the  Sab- 
bath Day  with  psalms  and  hymns  and 
spiritual  songs,  or  when  they  bow  together 


60  GAXGA    DASS 

in  prayer  or  listen  to  the  Word  of  the  Lord. 
During  all  the  week  the  songs  and  hymns 
of  the  Sabbath  will  penetrate  the  heart, 
as  leaven  penetrates  the  loaf,  and  the  Word 
of  God  will  abide  to  give  strength  and 
courage.  Thus  one  part  of  Christian  wor- 
ship is  fulfilled." 

"I  easily  can  understand  you,  Sahib, 
and  I  long  to  join  with  Christians  in  such 
a  service.  May  I  sit  with  the  Christians 
when  next  they  meet  for  worship?" 

''Yes,  my  brother,  and  I  pray  that  God 
may  shine  upon  you  and  bless  you.  But 
remember,  Ganga  Dass,  that  which  I  have 
told  you  is  but  one  half  of  Christian  wor- 
ship; it  means  the  lifting  up  of  the  heart. 
Worship  is  not  complete  until  both  hands 
are  extended  before  the  Lord;  there  must 
be  the  laying  down  of  the  will  also." 

"Tell  me  all,  Sahib;  teach  me  how  to 
worship  perfectly,  that  I  may  serve  God 
also  with  a  perfect  heart." 


"Ganga  Dass,  how  is  your  body  kept 
alive?" 

"Surelv,  Sahib,  by  the  food  which  I 
eat." 

"Yes,  my  brother,  and  in  what  manner 
do  you  spend  the  hours  of  the  day?" 

"I  am  engaged  in  the  business  of  a  grain 
merchant." 

"Do  you  make  a  profit  in  your  business  ?" 

"Surely,  Sahib,  if  there  was  no  profit  I 
could  not  continue  to  buy  grain  from  the 


THE    VILLAGE    COUNCIL        61 

farmers  and  sell  it  again,  nor  could  I  pro- 
vide a  living  for  my  family." 

"Then,  Ganga  Dass,  your  business  must 
seem  to  you  a  matter  of  very  great  impor- 
tance." 

"Yes,  Sahib,  that  is  true." 

"But  why  ?" 

"Because,  Sahib,  I  must  preserve  my 
own  life,  and  give  food  and  shelter  to  my 
family;  I  must  pay  taxes  to  the  govern- 
ment, and  also  give  alms  to  the  poor. 
Moreover,  I  must  lay  by  something  in  store 
against  the  day  of  sickness  or  misfortune. 
My  business  is  to  me  as  wheels  are  to  a 
cart;  without  it  I  should  be  helpless,  un- 
able to  carry  forward  the  heavy  responsi- 
bilities of  my  life." 

"Then,  Ganga  Dass,  if  you  could  not  sell 
your  wheat,  no  doubt  it  would  cause  great 
anxiety  in  your  mind." 

"Certainly,  Sahib,  for  then  all  my  plans 
would  have  to  be  changed  and  I  would 
need  to  make  other  arrangements  for  my 
family.  My  whole  life  would  be  different, 
and  even  my  very  thoughts." 

"But,  Ganga  Dass,  can  the  hidden 
thoughts  of  your  heart  thus  be  influenced 
by  a  few  seers  of  common  wheat,  lying 
yonder  in  your  bins?" 

"If  the  cocoanut  be  broken,  Sahib,  will 
not  the  palm-milk  be  lost?" 

"You  have  answered  truly,  Ganga  Dass. 
Our  life  in  this  world  is  tied  up  in  one 
bundle  with  material  things,  such  as  wheat, 
rice  and  oil,  clothing,  shoes  and  shelter — 
in  one  word,  our  life  is  tied  up  with  money. 


62  GANGA   DASS 

This  is  true  also  whether  a  man  be  rich  or 
poor,  farmer,  goldsmith,  merchant,  or  la- 
borer. Therefore  he  who  touches  my 
money,  or  my  property,  has  indeed  touched 
my  life,  just  as  a  gentle  pressure  upon  the 
bit  turns  a  horse  to  the  right  hand  or  the 
left." 

"These  are  words  of  wisdom,  Sahib." 

"And  now,  Ganga  Dass,  who  has  the 
control  of  your  life?  Who  sends  you  pros- 
perous seasons,  and-  who  permits  the  days 
of  affliction?  Who  is  the  giver  of  life,  and 
who  has  power  over  death?" 

"I  understand  you,  Sahib.  I  used  to 
think  that  the  unchanging  law  of  karma 
controlled  my  life.  But  now  I  know  the 
truth:  it  is  the  all-wise  and  all-loving  God, 
even  my  heavenly  Father.  Blessed  be  His 
Name!" 

"Yes,  Ganga  Dass,  our  God  has  all  power 
and  all  dominion.  His  Name  is  above  every 
name.  Therefore  every  true  Christian  seeks 
to  lay  down  his  own  will  and  choose  the  will 
of  his  Father  who  is  in  heaven.  He  prays, 
•Thy  will  be  done.'" 

"O  Sahib,  let  me  offer  that  prayer  just 
now :  'Thy  will,  0  God,  he  done.' " 

•"Amen!  Such  a  prayer  is  the  very  heart 
of  worship,  Ganga  Dass.  Now  let  me  ask 
you  a  question." 

"Yes,  Sahib,  I  am  listening." 

"If  songs  and  prayers,  and  words  of  com- 
fort  on  the  Sabbath  Day  help  the  Chris- 
tian to  lift  up  his  heart  all  through  the 
days  of  the  week,  what  act  of  worship  on 
the  Sabbath  Day  will  remind  him  that  he 


THE    VILLAGE    COUNCIL        63 

is  to  lay  down  his  own  will  and  exalt  God 
to  be  Ruler  and  King  over  his  life?" 

"Tell  me,  Sahib,  for  I  do  not  know." 

"What  have  we  been  saying  just  now, 
Ganga  Dass?  What  is  it  that  touches  our 
life  and  influences  it  every  day?" 

"Money  and  property." 

"Yes,  Ganga  Dass.  And  who  is  absolute 
owner  of  the  money  and  property  which 
we   possess  ?" 

"I  can  answer  now,  Sahib.  God  alone  is 
owner." 

k"Yes,  my  brother,  but  do  all  the  people 
understand  this  ?" 

fc"Xo,  Sahib.  Hindus  do  not  understand 
this  at  all !  They  know  that  Brahm  cannot 
have  personal  dominion,  because  Brahm  is 
not  a  person.  Therefore  they  think  that 
they  themselves  own  the  money  and  the 
property." 

"Alas,  Ganga  Dass,  I  am  sorry  to  tell 
you  that  many  Christians  regard  money 
and  property  the  same  as  Hindus  regard 
it;  they  actually  think  they  have  dominion 
over  their  own  possessions." 

"How  can  this  be,  Sahib,  when  Chris- 
tians know  that  God  is  not  a  shadow  in  the 
mind,  but  is  a  personal  and  living  God?" 

"Some  Christians  are  not  properly  taught, 
others  are  forgetful,  and  many  are  covet- 
ous. The  Word  of  God  warns  us  that  the 
love  of  money  is  a  root  of  all  kinds  of 
evil." 

"Why  should  this  be,  Sahib?  Is  not 
money  very  necessary?" 

"Money  and  property  are  indeed  neces- 


64  GANGA   DASS 

sary,  Ganga  Dass,  but  listen:  When  a  man 
obtains  possession  of  any  property,  such  as 
a  bullock  or  a  goat  or  a  store  of  grain,  or 
when  he  receives  wages  for  his  labor,  he 
should  immediately  acknowledge  God's 
ownership  of  it  all.  Otherwise  he  will  be 
sure  to  covet  these  things  for  himself;  and 
covetousness  is  idolatry." 

"Idolatry,  Sahib!" 

"Yes,  Ganga  Dass,  that  is  what  the  Bible 
teaches." 

"But  I  do  not  understand;  idolatry  is  the 
awful  sin  of  the  Hindus." 

"True,  Ganga  Dass.  Idolatry  comes 
whenever  the  pandits  teach  that  God  is  not 
personal  but  impersonal.  Always  the  com- 
mon people  will  make  something  to  look 
at  when  they  worship,  something  that 
seems  to  have  personal  attributes,  no  mat- 
ter how  horrible  it  may  be;  the  hungry 
and  weary  people  never  can  understand  an 
impersonal  Brahm." 

"But  why  does  the  Bible  say  that  covet- 
ousness is  the  same  as  idolatry?" 

"Because,  my  brother,  when  a  man 
claims  money  or  property  as  his  own,  or 
when  he  covets  money  or  property  for  him- 
self, he  either  forgets  or  denies  the  owner- 
ship of  God;  that  is,  he  either  forgets  or 
denies  that  God  is  a  living  Person,  and 
thus  cuts  himself  off  from  the  fountain  of 
Life.  The  soul  within  him  becomes  dead, 
just  as  though  he  were  bowing  down  before 
an  image  of  Krishna  or  Ganesa.  Is  not 
this  clear  to  you,  Ganga  Dass  ?" 

"You  make  it  so  clear,  Sahib,  that  my 


THE    VILLAGE    COUNCIL        65 

heart  trembles  because  of  fear;  for  I  have 
bullocks  and  goats,  and  I  am  measuring 
grain  and  counting  money  every  day.  I 
have  given  up  the  worship  of  Krishna  and 
Ganesa,  Sahib,  and  yet  you  tell  me  that  I 
am  in  danger  of  falling  into  idolatry  again 
because  of  the  property  and  money  in  my 
house.  0  Sahibji,  you  are  my  friend;  save 
me  from  this  wickedness." 

"Fear  not,  Ganga  Dass.  God  knew  our 
danger.  He  saw  that  money  and  property 
would  be  a  stumbling-block  to  his  children, 
that  it  would  cause  them  to  fall  into  covet- 
ousness  and  idolatry.  Therefore  he  has 
given  us  a  plain  and  simple  commandment, 
one  easy  to  remember.  It  is  the  law  of  the 
tenth." 

"Teach  me  this  law,  Sahib;  tell  me  what 
a  Christian  ought  to  know." 

"Listen,  my  brother.  Reckon  together 
all  your  property  and  possessions — your 
house,  your  cattle,  your  grain,  your  money 
—all." 

"Yes,  Sahib." 

"Then  remember  that  all  of  this  belongs 
to  God — the  silver  and  the  copper,  the 
grain  and  the  oil,  the  house  and  the  cattle 
— all.  Keep  not  back  one  kauri  for  your- 
self." 

"All,  Sahib?    How  then  shall  I  live?" 

"Fear  not,  Ganga  Dass,  would  our 
Father  forget  his  child?" 

VI 

"I   think  I  can  make   this  matter  quite 


6(3  GANGA   DASS 

clear  to  you,  my  brother,  if  you  will  per- 
mit me  to  ask  two  or  three  simple  ques- 
tions concerning  your  business.  May  I  ask 
them  ?" 

"Certainly,  Sahib.  You  are  my  father 
and  my  mother;  you  may  ask  any  ques- 
tion you  desire."' 

"Thank  you,  Ganga  Dass.  Answer  me 
then — Who  is  in  charge  of  your  shop  while 
you  sit  here  conversing  with  me?" 

"Tulsi  Earn."  a 

"And  who  is  Tulsi  Earn?" 

"He  is  my  steward,  Sahib." 

"But  are  you  not  afraid  to  go  away  and 
leave  the  shop  in  his  hands?" 

"O,  no,  Sahib.  Tulsi  Earn  was  also  my 
father's  steward.  He  loves  me  as  his  own 
son.  I  could  go  away  for  an  entire  month, 
or  even  a  year,  and  Tulsi  Earn  would  care 
for  my  business  as  faithfully  as  though  it 
vvere  his  own.  I  give  it  all  into  his  keep- 
ing and  he  conducts  the  shop  in  my  name." 

"And  does  he  keep  an  account  and  pay 
out  money?" 

"O,  yes,  Sahib.  Even  the  money  which 
I  use  for  my  own  expense  is  paid  to  me  by 
Tulsi  Earn,  according  to  my  order.  He 
takes  the  entire  charge  of  the  shop,  even 
when  I  am  present,  although  he  never  de- 
cides any  question  concerning  the  business 
without  first  informing  me,  and  asking  my 
judgment.     Tulsi  Earn  is  my  friend." 

"Your  words  are  full  of  wisdom,  Ganga 
Dass ;  therefore  your  own  words  shall  teach 
you.  The  very  moment  when  you  recog- 
nize God's  ownership,  when  you  give  back 


THE    VILLAGE    COUNCIL        67 

to  him  all  the  money  and  all  the  property, 
that  very  moment  God  accepts  you  to  be 
his  faithful  steward.  He  leaves  the  prop- 
erty and  money  in  your  hands,  and  ex- 
pects you  to  administer  all  of  it  in  His 
name.  Therefore,  as  God's  steward,  you 
are  to  acknowledge  God's  dominion  over 
all  your  possessions;  you  are  to  provide  a 
living  for  your  family,  you  are  to  support 
the  government  and  give  alms  to  the  poor, 
and  you  are  to  lay  by  something  in  store 
for  days  to  come.  But  all  of  this  is  to 
be  done  in  accordance  with  his  holy  will. 
You  are  to-  seek  the  guidance  of  your 
heavenly  Father  just  as  Tulsi  Ram  seeks 
your  own  counsel  and  advice.  Thus,  my 
brother,  you  will  be  saved  from  the  hateful 
sin  of  covetousness,  and  never  again  will 
fall  into  the  pit  of  idolatry." 

"O  Sahib,  thank  you  for  your  words  of 
comfort.  My  heart  leaps  up  again  with 
love  and  gladness;  all  fear  has  been  cast 
out." 

"Then,  Ganga  Dass,  you  surely  are  ready 
to  answer  my  former  question." 

"Please  repeat  the  question,  Sahib,  that 
I  may  understand." 

"Very  well,  Ganga  Dass,  I  will  do  so, 
for  this  question  is  like  the  foundation  of 
a  house — it  supports  the  entire  building 
and  all  that  is  within  it.  What  act  of 
worship  shall  a  Christian  perforin  on  the 
Lord's  Day  as  an  acknowledgment  that  God 
is  in  very  truth  the  Owner  of  all  that  he 
possesses  ?" 

"O   Sahib,  it  is  of  money  that  you  are 


68  GAXGA   DASS 

speaking!  I  saw  the  Christians  one  day 
when  all  of  them  were  gathered  together 
under  the  nim  tree  in  front  of  Chatar 
Masih's  house.  They  laid  pice  and  kauris, 
and  also  wheat  upon  a  clean  chadar.  Are 
you  speaking  of  money,  Sahib?" 

"Yes,  Ganga  Dass,  money  and  property." 

"And  is  this  money  for  the  poor?" 

"No,  Ganga  Dass,  it  is  for  the  living  and 
holy  God." 

"But  God  does  not  need  to  receive  money 
from  the  hands  of  men,  Sahibji." 

"Nor  do  you  need  to  receive  money  from 
Tulsi  Ram.  The  entire  shop  belongs  to 
you;  all  the  grain  in  the  bins  is  under 
your  authority,  and  all  the  money  in  the 
brass  money-box.  Nevertheless,  because 
Tulsi  Ram  is  your  steward,  you  receive 
money  from  his  hand." 

"True,  Sahib.  I  always  have  done  so, 
and  my  father  before  me  did  the  same." 

"Even  so,  Ganga  Dass,  as  you  receive 
money  from  your  steward,  so  God  receives 
money  from  His  stewards;  for  the  Lord 
hath  expense  for  His  kingdom." 

"Your  words  are  filled  with  light,  Sahib." 

"And  now,  my  friend,  how  do  you  re- 
ceive money  from  Tulsi  Ram?  Do  you  go 
to  him  with  outstretched  hand,  as  though 
you  were  a  religious  mendicant,  and  do  you 
beseech  him  to  bestow  upon  you  the  gift 
of  a  little  money?" 

"O  Sahib,  you  are  speaking  in  jest;  cer- 
tainly I  do  not  beg  money  from  the  steward 
of  my  own  house!  I  am  the  proprietor, 
and  full  authority  rests  with  me.    I  simply 


THE    VILLAGE    COUNCIL        69 

make  known  my  wishes  and  Tulsi  Ram 
cheerfully  accepts  my  word." 

"Then,  Ganga  Dass,  is  it  true  that  your 
steward  places  in  your  hand  whatever 
amount  you  bid  him,  whether  it  be  one 
rupee,  or  ten  rupees,  or  fifty?" 

"Certainly  it  is  true,  Sahib ;  were  it  not 
true,  then  my  steward  would  be  greater  in 
authority  than  the  proprietor  himself. 
Tulsi  Ram  would  not  think  of  such  dis- 
respect." 

"Very  good,  my  brother.  In  other  words, 
when  your  steward  acknowledges  that  you 
have  power  and  authority  over  the  very 
small  amount  which  he  places  in  your 
hand,  he  also  must  acknowledge  that  you 
have  power  and  authority  over  all  the  rest. 
Is  it  so?" 

"Yes,  Sahib,  it  is  even  as  you  say." 

VII 

"Ganga  Dass,  God  has  given  you  wisdom 
and  understanding.  Therefore  you  easily 
will  recognize  why  Christians  are  taught 
to  worship  God,  on  the  first  day  of  the 
week,  by  placing  a  certain  portion  of 
money  or  grain  upon  a  clean  white  chadar. 
We  are  God's  stewards  and  have  received 
commandment  that  this  portion  shall  be 
brought  into  his  storehouse,  even  as  Tulsi 
Ram  is  instructed  that  a  certain  portion  of 
your  money  shall  be  placed  in  your  hand." 

"Then  do  Christians  bring  a  certain 
definite  amount  into  God's  Storehouse?" 

"Alas,  Ganga  Dass,  it  is  my  sorrow  and 
shame    to    tell   you   that    many    Christians 


70  GAXGA   DASS 

have  not  inquired  from  God  concerning 
this;  therefore  it  is  their  habit  to  lay 
upon  the  chadar  whatsoever  amount  they 
please." 

"But  can  this  be  right,  Sahib?" 

"You  have  good  understanding,  Ganga 
Dass;  tell  me  what  you  think." 

"Please  excuse  me,  Sahibji;  I  love  the 
Christians  of  this  village  and  would  not 
like  to  speak." 

"Nay,  Ganga  Dass,  do  not  hesitate.  Cha- 
tar  Masih  has  already  learned  the  truth, 
and  it  will  make  him  stronger  to  hear  it 
again  from  your  lips.  Ought  Christians 
to  lay  upon  the  chadar  of  the  congregation 
whatsoever  sum  they  please?" 

"I  am  as  a  newborn  child,  Sahib;  it  is 
not  fitting  that  I  should  speak  in  judgment 
of  older  Christians.  Nevertheless,  as  for 
me,  shall  I  receive  obedience  in  my  own 
house  from  Tulsi  Ram,  my  steward,  and 
shall  I  withhold  obedience  from  the  Lord 
of  the  whole  earth?  I  would  not  dare  to 
lay  upon  the  chadar  of  the  congregation 
that  which  I  myself  desired,  but  only  what 
was  commanded  me  of  the  Lord." 

"You  have  answered  well,  my  brother. 
God  surely  will  make  you  a  counselor  and 
leader  among  the  Christians.  The  Hindus 
have  called  you  'Ganga  Dass  the  Wise,' 
but  the  Christians  will  call  you  'Ganga 
Dass  the  Teacher.'" 

"Nay,  Sahib,  say  not  so,  for  I  am  but  a 
little  child.  I  have  yet  everything  to  learn. 
What  is  that  portion  which  a  Christian 
ought  to  bring?" 


THE    VILLAGE    COUNCIL        7i 

"The  answer  is  easy,  Ganga  Dass,  for 
the  Bible  makes  it  very  plain.  That  holy- 
portion  was  named  when  men  first  wor- 
shiped God  upon  the  earth;  the  same  por- 
tion was  confirmed  when  the  command- 
ments of  God  were  written  for  his  ancient 
nation ;  the  same  portion  was  recognized 
when  Jesus  Christ  proclaimed  the  Good 
News  for  all  people,  and  until  this  day  that 
portion  has  not  been  changed.  It  is  one 
tenth  of  our  income,  or  one  tenth  of  the 
increase  of  our  possessions." 

"One  tenth,  Sahib!  So  small  a  portion 
to  acknowledge  the  God  of  all  the  earth !" 

"Yes,  Ganga  Dass,  one  tenth  is  the  por- 
tion that  God  has  named.  It  is  indeed  a 
small  amount ;  yet  if  this  portion  is  offered 
with  loyalty  and  faith,  it  is  like  the  tiny 
morsel  of  leaven  which  leavens  the  whole 
loaf.  The  consecration  of  one  tenth  of  a 
Christian's  income  means  the  consecration 
of  all  the  rest." 

"But,  Sahibji,  will  not  God  be  pleased 
to  take  from  me  a  larger  sum?  He  has 
lifted  me  out  of  a  deep  and  awful  pit,  and 
I  would  make  suitable  acknowledgment.  I 
was  expecting  you  to  name  a  larger  por- 
tion, for  even  one  half  of  my  income  is  a 
small  return  to  God.  May  I  not  in  any 
case  offer  more  than  one  tenth?" 

"Ganga  Dass,  your  heart  is  tender  before 
the  Lord.  Therefore  I  pray  that  you  may 
learn  the  full  truth  of  Christian  steward- 
ship, even  now,  in  the  sweetness  and  fresh- 
ness of  your  new  experience." 

"Teach  me,  Sahib." 


72  GANGA   DASS 

"All  that  we  have  is  the  Lord's,  my 
brother,  and  all  of  our  possessions  must  be 
administered  for  him.  Therefore  when  we 
provide  a  living  for  our  family,  or  pay 
taxes  to  the  government,  this  is  part  of  our 
stewardship,  for  these  are  duties  which  lie 
at  the  very  foundation  of  the  kingdom  of 
God.  Moreover,  when  we  give  money  to 
feed  the  poor,  or  to  heal  the  siek,  or  when 
we  bestow  a  public  benefit,  as  digging  a 
well  or  building  a  traveler's  rest-house,  this 
also  is  part  of  our  stewardship,  even  a 
free-will  offering  for  the  kingdom  of  God. 
Each  Christian  must  determine  such  gifts 
for  himself,  according  as  there  is  need,  and 
according  as  God  hath  prospered  him.  The 
rich  will  give  abundantly,  the  poor  must 
be  content  to  bestow  a  meager  sum." 

"Yes,  Sahib,  I  am  listening." 

"But,  Ganga  Dass,  when  the  clean  white 
chadar  is  spread  before  the  congregation 
on  the  first  day  of  the  week,  to  receive  the 
consecrated  tenth,  this  is  the  highest  stew- 
ardship of  all,  because  it  is  a  personal  and 
direct  acknowledgment  of  the  sovereign 
ownership  of  God." 

"And  is  this  law  of  the  tenth  for  all  the 
people,  Sahib,  whether  they  have  much  or 
little?" 

"Yes,  Ganga  Dass,  for  God  cannot  be  a 
respecter  of  persons.  If  the  Sabbath  offer- 
ing were  a  gift,  then  each  worshiper  would 
bring  what  he  himself  deemed  best.  But 
the  holy  tenth  is  not  a  gift,  it  is  an  ac- 
knowledgment. When  Christians  mingle 
with  each  other,  the  strong  must  bear  the 


THE    VILLAGE    COUNCIL        73 

infirmities  of  the  weak,  and  the  rich  must 
consider  the  poor  and  the  unfortunate. 
But  when  they  stand  uncovered  before  the 
majesty  of  God,  there  can  be  no  distinc- 
tion among  them,  whether  they  be  rich  or 
poor;  they  are  all  brethren  together. 
Therefore,  with  one  accord  they  humble 
themselves  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God, 
and  bring  the  self-same  offering  into  his 
storehouse,  even  the  holy  tenth  which  God 
hath  named." 

"Your  words  are  sweet  in  my  ears,  Sahib, 
and  I  shall  remember  them.  May  I  bring 
the  sacred  tenth  when  I  sit  with  the  Chris- 
tians next  Sabbath,  or  should  I  wait  until 
after  I  have  received  baptism?" 

"No,  Ganga  Dass,  do  not  wait.  Bring 
your  first  offering  of  the  tenth  next  Sab- 
bath Day.  The  bringing  of  the  tenth 
means  the  acknowledgment  of  God's  per- 
sonal dominion.  It  is  a  sure  token  of  per- 
sonal faith,  therefore  it  should  be  offered 
before  baptism.  The  words  of  our  mouth 
pass  into  the  air  and  are  forgotten,  but  the 
bringing  of  the  tenth  means  that  we  really 
recognize  the  ownership  of  God — for  prop- 
erty always  means  a  person.  That  is  why 
I  asked  you  my  first  question,  during  the 
rains,  'What  is  that  in  thy  hand?'  Do 
you  not  remember?" 

"Yes,  Sahib,  I  do  indeed  remember!  I 
shall  remember  it  always,  for  your  ques- 
tion opened  the  doorway  into  a  new  life." 

"Thank  God,  my  brother.  So  shall  it  be 
with  many  Hindus  whose  hearts  are  weary 
with    the    shadows    and    mists    of    Brahm. 


74  GAXGA   DASS 

For  God,  the  maker  and  owner  of  all 
things,  is  not  the  unconscious  soul  of  the 
universe;  He  is  the  personal  and  living 
God." 

"O  Sahib,  I  love  His  holy  name!" 
"Yes,  Ganga  Dass,  I  am  sure  you  love 
him.  Therefore,  to  delay  your  acknowledg- 
ment would  open  a  doorway  into  fierce 
doubts  and  temptations.  Do  not  wait  for 
baptism.  Bring  your  tenth  next  Sabbath 
Day  and  place  it  upon  the  chadar  of  the 
congregation.  It  shall  be  your  first  offer- 
ing of  faith,  your  confession  that  God  is 
not  a  shadow  in  the  mind,  but  a  real  and 
living  Lord.  Afterward  you  shall  receive 
baptism  and  be  numbered  among  the 
Christians." 

"This  will  I  do,  Sahib,  with  joy  and 
gladness." 

VIII 

"Thank  you,  Sister  Maryam;  this  cup 
of  sharbat  is  most  refreshing.  How  good 
is  God  that  He  should  provide  for  us  the 
pleasant  juice  of  the  pomegranate!  Do 
you  think  Padri  Ishwar  Pershad  will  come 
soon  ?" 

"He  is  already  come,  Sahib;  he  is  wait- 
ing until  you  have  finished  taking  your 
refreshment." 

"I  am  quite  finished,  my  sister.  Please, 
Chatar  Masih,  give  the  good  pastor  my 
salam  and  tell  him  that  I  shall  rejoice  in 
his  presence.  .  .  .  Ah,  my  brother,  Ishwar 
Pershad,  my  fellow-laborer  in  the  gospel,  I 
pray  the  peace  of  God  may  rest  upon  you." 


THE    VILLAGE    COUNCIL        75 

"Great  peace  be  upon  you,  my  honored 
superintendent,  and  my  friend.  It  is  fit- 
ting- that  I  should  ask  forgiveness  for  com- 
ing to  your  presence  so  late." 

"No,  my  brother;  Chatar  Masih  already 
has  explained  to  me  that  you  were  detained 
at  the  sick-bed  of  Jisukh  Rae.  Is  the  good 
Hakim  better?" 

"These  hands  closed  his  eyes,  Sahib;  his 
soul  passed  from  earth  an  hour  ago." 

"So  Jisukh  Rae  is  dead!  I  am  much 
grieved,  for  he  was  my  friend.  I  must 
pay  my  respects  and  oiler  condolence  to  his 
family.  When  Jisukh  Rae  was  a  young 
man  he  studied  at  our  Mission  College.  He 
was  the  friend  of  Christians." 

"As  I  sat  by  his  side  to-day,  Sahib,  the 
Hakim  called  for  his  two  sons  and  his 
nephew.  When  they  were  all  gathered  at 
his  bed  he  spoke  in  a  weak  voice  and 
said:  'I  cannot  take  my  property  with  me, 
it  remains  in  your  hands;  therefore  take 
heed  unto  my  words.  If  you  spend  money 
recklessly,  it  will  become  a  swift  river 
bearing  you  to  destruction;  if  you  hoard 
it  away  as  a  miser,  it  will  turn  to  ice  and 
freeze  your  soul  within  you;  if  you  use  it 
to  do  good  in  the  world,  it  will  be  like  the 
gentle  rain  that  falls  upon  the  earth  and 
makes  it  beautiful  with  grass  and  corn  and 
flowers.' " 

"Jisukh  Rae  was  a  good  man,  Padri." 

"Yes,  Sahib,  I  believe  Jesus  Christ  came 
to  him  upon  his  deathbed." 

"Tell  me  of  it,  my  brother." 

"After  his  two  sons  and  his  nephew  had 


7G  GANGA   DASS 

left  him,  Jisukh  Rae  lay  quiet  for  a  long 
time.  Suddenly  he  opened  his  eyes  and 
stretched  forth  his  hands.  'O  Jesus  Christ/ 
he  cried,  'I  have  loved  you  long,  ever  since 
my  youth,  but  I  have  been  afraid  to  con- 
fess you  before  the  Hindus!  Forgive  me, 
O  Jesus  Christ,  forgive  me V  Tears  were 
running  from  his  eyes  as  I  kneeled  by  his 
bedside.  The  Brahman  priest  stood  in  the 
doorway  astonished,  but  I  prayed  to  God  in 
faith.  Then  I  sang,  'Jesus  Christ  be  thou 
my  Security,'  ['Yisu  Masih  mero  Pran 
Bachaiya'~\  and  while  I  was  singing  Jisukh 
Rae  looked  at  me  and  smiled.  He  kept 
looking  at  me  until  his  eyes  grew  dim  and 
his  head  sank  down  upon  the  cushion.  But 
the  smile  remained  upon  his  face.  And 
thus  he  died." 

"Ah,  Padri  Ishwar  Pershad,  I  thank  God 
that,  through  your  faithfulness  and  prayer, 
Jisukh  Rae  found  Christ  upon  his  deathbed. 
It  is  beautiful!  But  I  praise  God  most  of 
all  because  our  brother  here  did  not  wait 
until  the  shadows  of  death  were  gathering 
about  him.  Ganga  Dass  and  I  have  held 
sweet  converse  this  night  concerning  the 
things  of  God." 

'"Yes,  Sahib,  I  expected  that  Brother 
Ganga  Dass  would  meet  you  at  the  house  of 
Chatar  Masih.  How  the  Christians  will  re- 
joice when  he  joins  them  in  worship!  Will 
you  be  with  us  next  Sabbath,  Ganga 
Dass?" 

"Indeed  I  shall  come,  Padri  Ishwar  Per- 
shad. I  must  be  present  in  order  to  lay  my 
tenth    upon    the    chadar,    and    confess   my 


THE    VILLAGE    COUNCIL        77 

faith.  Sahibji  has  been  teaching-  me  how 
Christians  ought  to  worship  God  in  spirit 
and  in  truth." 

"Hallelujah !  O  Sahib,  I  thank  God  for 
his  great  love  to  our  Indian  Church,  and 
I  thank  you  for  your  patient  teaching. 
Some  of  our  Christians  have  been  unwill- 
ing to  observe  the  practice  of  Christian 
stewardship,  but  now  it  will  be  different. 
They  will  be  ashamed  when  they  see  Ganga 
Dass  lay  his  tenth  upon  the  chadar,  for  he 
is  a  new  Christian,  and  not  yet  baptized. 
Soon  all  the  Christians  of  the  village  will 
understand  how  they  have  been  robbing 
God,  and  they  also  will  bring  the  whole 
tithe  into  the  storehouse." 

"But,  Sahibji—  ..." 

"Yes,  Chatar  Masih." 

"What  shall  become  of  the  sacred  tenth 
after  we  have  laid  it  upon  the  chadar  of 
the  congregation?" 

"Thank  you,  Chatar  Masih,  your  ques- 
tion is  like  a  golden  key.  It  unlocks  the 
most  difficult  problem  of  the  Church  in 
India,  the  problem  of  self-support  and  self- 
government." 

"Do  you  mean,  Sahib,  that  the  sacred 
tenth  of  Indian  Christians  will  support  our 
Indian  pastors?" 

"Certainly,  Chatar  Masih,  not  only  will 
God's  tenth  support  your  own  pastors,  but, 
in  time,  it  will  provide  for  all  other  ex- 
penses of  the  Indian  Church.  Moreover, 
one  day,  the  Church  in  India  will  send 
missionaries  to  Thibet  and  Persia,  to 
Mauritius    and    Madagascar,    just    as    the 


TS  GANGA   DASS 

Church  in  Great  Britain  and  America  now 
sends  missionaries  to  India." 

"O  Sahib,  will  that  time  ever  come?" 

"It  must  come,  my  friends,  or  else  the 
Church  in  India  can  never  inherit  the  full 
promises  of  God.  India  is  one  of  the  great 
countries  of  the  world,  and  the  Indian  peo- 
ple are  one  of  the  greatest  races.  There- 
fore the  Church  in  India  ought  to  become, 
and  will  become,  one  of  the  noblest 
churches  of  all  history." 

"How  your  words  cause  our  hearts  to 
burn  within  us,  Sahib!" 

"Yes,  my  friends,  but  Indian  Christians 
must  pay  the  price  of  leadership  as  Chris- 
tians have  paid  that  price  in  all  the  world. 
To-day  the  Church  in  India  is  poor.  There- 
fore God  is  saying  unto  her,  'I  counsel  thee 
to  buy  of  me  gold  refined  by  fire,  that  thou 
mayest  become  rich.'  O  my  friends,  I  love 
the  Church  in  India  as  my  own  life !  Shall 
we  not  work  together  and  build  her  walls 
with  love  and  sacrifice  and  prayer?  Shall 
not  you  and  I  work  together,  Padri  Ishwar 
Pershad,  as  true  yoke-fellows  and  ministers 
of  Christ?" 

"It  will  be  my  joy,  Sahib,  to  stand  at 
your  side." 

"And  you,  Chatar  Masih,  and  you,  Sister 
Maryam,  will  you  let  your  lamp  shine 
brightly  in  the  village?" 

"O  Sahibji,  our  light  will  not  go  out,  for 
God  himself  has  promised  to  supply  the 
oil;  moreover,  we  shall  teach  Premi  and 
little  Durga  all  that  we  have  learned." 

"Yes   indeed,   the   precious   children,   my 


THE    VILLAGE    COUNCIL        79 

friends;  the  children  are  the  Church  of  to- 
morrow. And  you,  Ganga  Dass,  my 
brother,  will  the  Church  of  Christ  find  you 
also  in  your  appointed  place?" 

"Sahib,  did  not  the  Church  of  Christ 
find  me  starving  in  the  desert  and  bring 
me  to  my  Father's  house?" 

"Yes,  Ganga  Dass." 

"And  shall  I  turn  from  my  Father's 
house,  and  wander  again  in  the  desert?" 


The  Christian  Stewardship  League, 

Organized  in  Philadelphia, 

July,  1916 


This  Movement  is  authorized  and  projected  in  order 
that  the  standards  of  stewardship,  now  coming  to  be  rec- 
ognized in  all  the  Churches,  shall  be  realized  in  a  definite 
program  of  personal  committal  and  of  Church-wide 
achievement. 

CONSTITUTION 

Art.  I.  Name  and  Purpose 

The  Christian  Stewardship  League  is  formed  in  order 
that  Christian  people  may  be  helped  to  know  the  spiritual 
meaning  of  ownership,  and  in  order  that  they  themselves 
may  help  to  establish,  in  the  Church  and  in  society,  a 
Christian  attitude  toward  property,  income,  wages,  and 
wealth.  It  is  recognized  that  Christian  Stewardship  must 
be  of  life  and  opportunity,  no  less  than  of  possessions; 
therefore  it  is  the  further  purpose  of  this  League  to  em- 
phasize and  promote  the  stewardship  of  personal  Christian 
service,  and  of  prayer. 

Art.  II.  Membership 

The  Christian  Stewardship  League  shall  be  constituted 
of  Christian  people,  who,  accepting  the  Principles  of  Chris- 
tian Stewardship  as  set  forth  herewith,  shall,  by  personal 
committal,  declare  their  purpose  to  observe  them. 

Art.  III.   "Earnest" 

As  an  "Earnest"  of  their  purpose  to  observe  the  Prin- 
ciples of  Christian  Stewardship,  and  in  order  that  the 
activities  of  this  League  shall  be  established  and  extended 
among  the  Churches,  each  member  shall  be  expected  to 
send  to  the  Central  Office  the  sum  of  One  Dollar,  and  shall 
be  expected  to  enlist  in  the  membership  of  this  League 
One  Other  Person. 


Send  $1.00  "Earnest" — Enroll  Your  Name — Receive  the 
Literature. 


For  Literature  and  Full  Information  Address 
the  General  Superintendent 

CHRISTIAN  STEWARDSHIP  LEAGUE 

Central  Office 
740  Rush  Street,  Chicago,  Illinois 


Princeton  Theological   Seminary   Libraries 


PRIN 


I.    THE  STEWARDSHIP  OF  POSSESSIONS 

1.  God  is  the  Owner  of  all  things. 

2.  God  invites  men  to  subdue  the  earth  and  pos- 

sess it. 

3.  Man  is  a  steward  to  hold  and  administer  his 

possessions  as  a  sacred  trust. 

4.  God's  ownership  ought  to  be  acknowledged. 

5.  Biblical  history  records  the  setting  apart  of  the 

tenth  of  the  income  as  that  acknowledgment, 
and  indicates  a  divine  sanction  for  the  prac- 
tice and  the  amount. 

6.  The    Stewardship    of    Possessions   is   best    evi- 

denced by  the  systematic  application  of  this 
portion  of  income  to  the  advancement  of 
the  Kingdom,  and  by  the  faithful  adminis- 
tration of  the  balance  of  income  and  wealth. 

II.    THE  STEWARDSHIP  OF  PERSONALITY 

1.  God  is  the   Supreme  Person  in  a  world  of  per- 

sons, perfect  in  every  attribute  of  personality. 

2.  God  invites  every  person  to  become  a  partaker 

of  the  divine  nature. 

3.  Man  has  nothing  which  he  did  not  receive;  he  is 

therefore  a  steward  of  every  worthy  element 
of  personality  by  him  possessed. 

4.  This  stewardship   is   acknowledged  by  worship 

and  the  giving  of  thanks. 

5.  It  is  administered  by  rendering  personal  human 

service. 

6.  The  Stewardship  of  Personality  is  best  acknowl- 

edged by  setting  apart  a  definite  time  for 
worship;  it  is  best  administered  by  under- 
taking definite  tasks  of  human  helpfulness. 

III.    THE  STEWARDSHIP  OF  PRAYER 

1.  All  power  is  given  to  Jesus  Christ. 

2.  Jesus  Christ  invites  his  friends  to  ask  anything 

in  His  Name,  and  it  shall  be  done. 

3.  Christian  Prayer  is  therefore  a  stewardship  of 

power  intrusted  by  Jesus  to  His  friends. 

4.  This    stewardship    is    acknowledged    when    the 

friendship  of  Jesus  is  accepted. 

5.  It   is   administered   by    asking   intelligently   ac- 

cording to  the  will  of  God. 

6.  The  Stewardship  of  Prayer  is  best  acknowledged 

by  a  full  consecration  to  Jesus  Christ;  it  is 
best  administered  by  observing  a  thoughtful 
program  of  prayer,  as  one  who  would  know 
what  his  Lord  doeth. 


